What’s On

In this 3-Part Online Workshop you will learn how and why different First Nations people continue the practices of story telling. In each session you will gain an intimate understanding of the importance of keeping wisdom, tradition and culture alive through storytelling. This is an opportunity to explore the deeper emotions behind the stories you want to tell; bringing forth an authentic awareness of how you share your story; and inviting you to bring your creativity to life through your expressed emotional connection to your words & your audience. You will learn how to apply the techniques of the Auteur Theory, creating & expressing your own unique & distinct ‘Authority’ within your writing.

Course Details

When: Thursday 28 January, 4 & 11 February at 1pm – 2.30pm
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: $80 members, $100 non-members

Detailed outline

Session 1: Origins

In this session we explore the sentiment behind why you have become a writer; and why you want to share the stories you do.

Format: Introduction Presentation by Alethea Beetson and Elena Wangurra; followed by each participant getting an opportunity to share their story; and explore the emotional depth & nuances within it. x1 Somatic Free Writing exercise to emotionally connect to your story.

Session 2: Mind Your Language

In this session we explore the concept of our ‘words create worlds’ – What words are you using in your writing; does it align with the story you want to tell? Do your words portray the imagery you want to convey, and the feelings you want your reader to engage in?

Format: Introduction Presentation by Alethea Beetson and Melanie Mununggurr on our Mother Tongue & The importance of Language; followed by each participant getting an opportunity to explore their own identity as a storyteller through their use of language; and x1 Writing exercise for participants to show & tell.

Session 3: Evocative Engagement

In this final session participants are invited to recreate, add to or re-write the story they are telling, applying the techniques learned & personal discoveries made.

Format: Introduction Presentation by Alethea Beetson and Kaylah Truth on the healing power of evocative writing; followed by each participant getting an opportunity to ask questions relating to their own writing style & stories. Free Writing exercise & peer feedback.

Who is it for

This series is for any new or seasoned author, who wants to enrich & substantiate their writing style and create a deeper connection through their words, with their audience; as well as for writers who want to learn and apply the techniques of the Auteur Theory, from a writers’ perspective to create & express their own unique & distinct ‘Authority’ within their writing.

About the Facilitators

Alethea Beetson is a Kabi Kabi + Wiradjuri artist and producer living on stolen land in Brisbane. She skerms in her seat when her professional bio is read out because despite the grandeur of it all, she mostly answers a lot of emails. Every job she now has, Alethea owes to the often-silenced work of the Indigenous people who have gone before her. Although her physical appearance might suggest she likes long walks on the beach, candle-lit dinners and foreign movies, in reality she is all about decolonisation, cultural resurgence and ancestral connection.

Founder & Creative Director of QueenMode Collective, Elena Wangurra, is a proud Warramiri and Triestina women from North-east Arnhem Land. With 20 year experience in performing arts, Elena has spent majority of her life sharing stories on stages around the world through dance and theatre. She continues to create safe & nurturing spaces where our First Nations can share their stories.

 Melanie Mununggurr is A Djapu writer from Yirrkala in East Arnhem Land. She is one of about 4600 speakers of Yolngu-Matha and a mentor for young Indigenous women in programs across the Northern Territory.She is also the first Indigenous Australian Slam Poetry Winner, as well as Published Author, soon to release her first debut collection of poetry with Penguin.

Kaylah ‘Truth” Tyson is a Meerooni woman of the Gurang nation with ties to the Ngugi people of the Quandamooka region and is the self-proclaimed ‘First Lady of BNE’. A highly acclaimed artist, seeing her support and hosting international acts including TLC, Kid Ink, Nelly, Naughty By Nature, B.O.B, Lupe Fiasco, Ciara, J.Holiday and Lady Leshurr, Kaylah is also a published author.