2015 Writerly Wrap-Up

2015 has been a great year for KSP with many achievements to shout about. We saw record numbers in attendance at our Open Day in May and welcomed many esteemed authors and poets throughout the year as part of our residency program.

The launch of our highly popular Blackboy Hill is Calling book collaboration as part of our ANZAC centenary celebrations was a particular highlight, ...

... along with the release of two inaugural anthologies for the Romance Writers' Group and Tuesday Writers' Circle.

The Big KSP Quiz Night in October lived up to its name, exceeding our expectations and raising over $1,500 towards our writing room renovations. Along with the Bonfire Night, a new idea suggested by our much-loved Gardening and Landscaping leader, Fern Pendragon, we hope to add these fun social activities to our annual events calendar.

It would be amiss of me not to extend my gratitude and thanks to Shannon Coyle, our hardworking lady on the frontline, who goes over and above the call of duty to make sure the Centre runs like a well-oiled machine. In September we also welcomed Ravenna Bouckaert to our team as a temporary part-time office assistant. She brings a wealth of artistic talent to our office, as well as adding a GenY voice to the Board.

Robert Perks stood down as Treasurer last month after several years of keeping our books balanced and, along with Margot Lowe, always the voice of reason on the Board, I strongly acknowledge the valued contributions they have made to KSP and hope they will not stray too far from our door.

To all our facilitators who turn up weekly to their writing groups and to our band of other volunteers who give their time and passion to ensuring the property and operations continue to be the best they can be, I extend my appreciation.

The year has not been without its challenges however, the biggest of these being our unsuccessful bid for program funding from the Department of Culture and the Arts WA.

While this result is disappointing, the KSP Board of Management will work together with other industry bodies to source alternative funding and in the meantime will make lemonade out of lemons, working smarter to streamline our 2016 program, without compromising our core services.

What it does mean, however, is that we need your support now more than ever. And it doesn’t need to be much. A simple ‘like’ on the KSP Writers’ Centre Facebook page and sharing our posts to promote our activities. Chat about KSP in your social networks and encourage other writers to come along to our workshops or writers groups. Grab a poster for our many events and place them on the noticeboards of your workplaces, local shops or other community groups. Don’t forget Katharine’s Place benefits from all sorts of people, not just writers. We need gardeners, handymen/women, business savvy folk, trades people and events organisers. They say it takes a village to raise a child but the same can be said for a non-for-profit organisation.

Our Centre is unique in so many ways, not only because of its history, location and ability to draw Perth's cream of the WA writing community, but because it is a wonderful place to find inspiration, quiet space or writing and friendship with like-minded souls.

I wish all our members a prosperous and safe festive season and hope to one day have all your publications sitting not only in the library of KSP but on my own personal bookshelf.

With respect and a kindred spirit for writing, I bid you a happy New Year and look forward to seeing you back in 2016.