Writing Change, Writing Inclusion

Background

Funded by The Ian Potter Foundation, Australia Council for the Arts and Centre for Stories Founders' Circle, Writing Change, Writing Inclusion is a writing program offering support for early, emerging and established writers from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD), and/or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.

Building off the success of the Centre for Stories' previous programs Inclusion Matters and Indian Ocean Mentoring, the Writing Change, Writing Inclusion program includes:

• Hot Desk Fellowship
  
• Mentoring program
  
• Access to emerging writer courses
  
• Website and social media proofing
  
• Opportunities at festivals and events
  
• Access to Centre for Stories events, networks, peer support and staff support
  
• Opportunity to collaborate with relevant organisations and publishers
  
• Opportunity to submit to the Centre for Stories' next anthology
  

Centre for Stories is a vibrant, inclusive literary arts and cultural organisation, using storytelling to inspire social cohesion and improve understanding of diverse communities. Centre for Stories cultivates stories that inspire thought, spark empathy, and challenge intolerance. The organisation focuses on empowering people whose experiences and perspectives are often marginalised, such as refugees, migrants, people of colour, sexual minorities, the elderly, and people living with disability.

Evaluation Methodology

Centre for Stories engaged Culture Counts to conduct an evaluation of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion. The evaluation was conducted by surveying participants of the program, including Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees, and was delivered through online surveys organised by Centre for Stories and distributed to participants. In partnership with Culture Counts, the surveys were designed and developed to evaluate Centre for Stories' strategic goals and outcomes for Writing Change, Writing Inclusion.

43 responses were collected from public attendees via an online survey sent to program participants.

Each survey contained a range of ‘dimension’ questions, asking stakeholders about their experience of the event. These dimensions have been developed and tested in collaboration with industry, practitioners, and academics to measure the impact and value of arts and cultural events and activities.

Appropriate dimensions were chosen for the evaluation by Centre for Stories based on their alignment with the program's strategic objectives.

Dimensions are assessed on a Likert scale, in which respondents move a slider to a point that indicates whether they agree or disagree with the dimension statement. An example of a dimension question in the Culture Counts survey tool is presented below.

Participant Profile

Demographics

Program participants were asked to provide their age, gender, and identity. This data identifies the demographic sample of people who responded to the survey and took part in the event. It enables data to be matched to the wider population and responses to be filtered to understand differences in demographics.

The following charts show the proportion of survey responses captured for each of the age, gender, and identity demographic questions, aggregated and split out by Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees.

Location and Postcode

Participants were asked to leave their postcode so that Centre for Sories can better understand the local reach of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion. The below chart aggregates and distributes the responses to this question from both Mentees and Hot Desk Fellows.

Postcode Heatmap

What is your postcode?

Participant Expectations

Expected Outcomes - Hot Desk Fellows

Program participants were asked about the outcomes they expected to achieve through their participation in Writing Change, Writing Inclusion. This allows organisers to better understand the outcomes that Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees were hoping to achieve through their participation in the program. This also allows expectations to be mapped against realised outcomes of the program, and to see where any differences may lie.

Expected Outcomes - Mentees

Program participants were asked about their expectations of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion. This allows organisers to better understand how these expectations can be mapped against realised outcomes of the program.

Expected Benefits

Participants were asked to indicate what they perceived to be the expected benefits of participating in each stream of the program. The below charts distribute the options for these questions ordered by popularity, for both Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees of the program.

Expected Support

Prior to the program commencing, participants were asked how Centre for Stories could support them throughout the program. Freetext answers were left in response, and a selection of highlights can be seen below for both Hot Desk Participants and Mentees of the program. Asking this question allowed the organisers to better prepare to support participants of the program.

Hot Desk Fellows

"I am looking for feedback on my work, connecting with poets from diverse backgrounds, enriching my writing practice, access to books and publishing tools/platforms."

"Feeling very supported already, the openess and willingness from staff to skillshare and engage with the Hot Desk writers has been great, and have already connected with several new writers also beginning to make their way into careers."

"By providing a dedicated space to write and lots of feedback and encouragement on our writing, which you already do so thank you!"

"Perhaps by providing a sheet/board of writing exercises available to hot deskers. I would find it beneficial to do an unseen writing warmup before starting on my own work."

"By giving constructive feedback on my writing and understanding the cultural background from which I write from."

"I expect Centre for Stories to tighten my connection to the local writing community. And I hope to not only learn from other writers, artists, and performers, but also share my knowledge about and experience with poetry with them."

"I would like to discover a path for how I can becoming a professional writer in Western Australia. I would appreciate honest feedback on my writing."

Mentees

"Prompts to ensure I am on-track with the objectives of the program/their expectations. Prompts to help me engage with/feel a part of the writing community in Perth/WA."

"Recommend any resources, materials that might be helpful for novice writers."

"A check in every now that then, nothing too excessive just a 'Hi, how's it all going?'"

"help and assisting me with creative writing, and how to form a narrative in the written form"

"You guys have already been so supportive! Um, maybe like scheduling more 'networking' events because I couldn't make it to the meet-and-greet lunch??? That's probably quite a superficial piece of feedback, sorry!!"

"Centre for Stories is one of the most supportive platforms for people of colour and I am confident that my association with them will help me improve my writing skills."

Participant Outcomes

Survey respondents moved a slider to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the included dimension statements in relation to the event. The following charts contain the response data for 'public' responses, showing the average result for each dimension.

The Culture Counts platform provides various methods to capture survey responses at minimal marginal cost. Achieving larger samples enables organisations to be more confident about the average results and that opinions of the survey respondents are representative of all attendees. The accompanying margin of error chart shows the expected differences for the associated dimension results calculated at a 95% confidence level.

Hot Desks Fellows - Prior/Post

Mentees - Prior/Post

Survey respondents moved a slider to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with the included dimension statements in relation to the event. The following charts contain the response data for 'public' responses, showing the average result for each dimension.

The Culture Counts platform provides various methods to capture survey responses at minimal marginal cost. Achieving larger samples enables organisations to be more confident about the average results and that opinions of the survey respondents are representative of all attendees. The accompanying margin of error chart shows the expected differences for the associated dimension results calculated at a 95% confidence level.

Overall Experience

Respondents were asked about their overall experience of attending Writing Chance, Writing Inclusion, with a choice of five options - Excellent, Good, Neutral, Poor and Terrible.

This chart shows the percentage of respondents that rated the program across these five options.

Net Promoter Score

Respondents were asked whether they would recommend the Hot Desk Fellowship or Mentor program to a friend or colleague. Respondents could choose a number from 0 to 10 from a menu, with 0 meaning 'not likely at all' and 10 meaning 'extremely likely'.

These results can be used to calculate a Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a standardised metric that seeks to measure loyalty between an organisation and its audience. Respondents with a score of 9 or 10 are considered 'Promoters'. 'Detractors' are those who respond with a score of 0 to 6. Scores of 7 and 8 are considered 'Passives'.

NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of respondents who are Detractors from the percentage of customers who are Promoters. This means that an overall Net Promoter Score can range between -100 to +100.

This chart shows the proportion of respondents that would or would not recommend the Hot Desk Fellowship or Menteeship, followed by the calculated NPS below.

Achieved Benefits

After the conclusion of their involvement in Writing Change, Writing Inclusion, both Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees were asked to indicate from a list what they found to be most valuable about participating in the program.

The lists presented to participants were consistent with those presented in the pre-program survey, allowing expected benefits of the program to be compared with realised outcomes.

Achieved Support

Hot Desk Fellows

Hot Desk Fellows were asked to leave freetext feedback about how Centre for Stories supported them through the program. Responses were overwhelmingly positive, and a selection of highlights can be seen below.

I felt incredibly supported by Centre for Stories. I was able to borrow books, attend poetry workshops, and in general, have access to materials that were and are essential to my poetic process. I also had access to mentorship and feedback through the Centre. This meant that as I developed a piece of poetry, I could then sharpen and strengthen its expression and make sufficient and satisfying progress with the outcome I was trying to achieve.

Allowing me to connect with writers from other disciplines and writing styles, building confidence by creating a safe space to learn and grow in, consistent support and encouragement when trying new techniques or working on submissions

The staff are so committed to supporting writers and always made me feel welcome. They would also engage with me asking questions on how my writing is going and offering support which helped me stay the course.

Centre for Stories have been very encouraging throughout the whole program. They've created a welcoming space where I was able to meet other writers and share ideas. The Centre has also supported my writing by offering lots of opportunities to learn about the different facets of writing, and opportunities to meet others in the industry, such as through various workshops, get-togethers, and general advice and encouragement.

By providing a dedicated space to write and support with detailed feedback on my work, and creative development opportunities. The staff and community connected to the Centre are always so warm and encouraging.

Having a space where I could hone my writing skills, bouncing ideas off my colleagues and help them out finding an idea to work on. It was also a safe space for me to explore what direction I could find and what style of writing to work on for the day.

Centre for Stories have helped and supported me immensely. Apart from providing a welcoming, friendly, and safe place to pursue my writing, the centre has also allowed me to network with other writers and creatives who have shared their valuable experiences in the industry. It shown me paths on this sometimes blurry landscape I have known as the writing industry.

Mentees

Mentees were asked to leave freetext feedback about how Centre for Stories supported them through the program. Responses were overwhelmingly positive, and a selection of highlights can be seen below.

By facilitating opportunities where I could engage with my peers, checking in on me at various intervals in the program, just generally being very friendly and approachable so I felt as though I could ask questions if I needed help.

The Centre for Stories always organised events to bring writers and mentors together and this was really helpful and gave me a sense of commitment and community. Besides, I was able to attend a few workshops for free due to this program. Finally, the Centre provided sessions to track my progress and they also organised catch ups to give me a better understanding of the writing and publishing world - I learned so much from these sessions.

Email check-ins from Logan
Free workshop on reading and writing skills
Writing practice check in with Rob
Promotion of my participation in the program on their website (interview)
Encouragement to submit to their publications

They liaised between myself and my mentor and checked in to see how I was going and how my writing was going. Then they created an opportunity for me to share my story at the end of the program in a public space.

Sisonke is one of the best storytellers around the world. She was my mentor and I could not be luckier.

Participant Attitudes and Habits

Writing Confidence

Before the commencement of the program, participants were asked to indicate the extent to which they felt confident in their writing ability. By comparing these results to the responses gathered after the conclusion of their involvement, Centre for Stories can understand the influence of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion in increasing the writing confidence of participants.

Comparative responses can be seen in the charts below, broken down by both Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees.

Hot Desk Fellows

Mentees

Writing Activities

Participants of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion were asked about their behaviours relating to involvement in writing activities both before and after participating in the program. The below results demonstrate the differences in activities experienced by participants, broken down by Hot Desk Fellows and Mentees.

Additional Comments and Feedback

Respondents were asked to leave any additional feedback about their experience with Writing Change, Writing Inclusion.

Hot Desk Participant Feedback

Thank you to everyone at the Centre for Stories. It has been one of the most the pleasant experiences of my life. I wish you the best for the future.

Thank you for highlighting writers from diverse backgrounds especially in a landscape that is still dominated by white authors.

Please continue to run this program! It is so invaluable to the writing community and has supported me immensely (and I'm sure other writers as well!). The work the Centre does is amazing and very needed. :)

I would have loved to share and read each others work more amongst other hot deskers, however, felt unsure if this would be welcomed. I think peer feedback can be unique and invaluable in many ways, and hope we will have an opportunity to share with each other in the future.

I really appreciated the space and I encourage any writer to come along and gain a network with fellow like-minded writers. One feedback I would like to have notice would be to encourage more publication opportunities and even developing more connections with other organisations for further creative developments.

Mentee Final Statements

Mentees of the program were asked to provide a final statement summarising their experience with the Writing Change, Writing Inclusion.

I would recommend this program without reservation. To be a marginalised voice in a room full of other marginalised voices, how great is that?

My mentorship provided some much needed encouragement, inspiration and guidance when I was stuck in my writing journey. I have developed a much healthier approach to my writing routine, focusing on the writing process rather than specific outcomes. My mentor encouraged me to experiment with different genres, which was critical in helping me find my voice. I feel so much more comfortable sharing my finished stories with the world as a result of my Mentor's constructive feedback and gentle encouragement.
The Program has given me newfound confidence as a writer. Importantly, it has helped fashion a new identity within myself as a storyteller.
Thank you so much Centre for Stories!

I was paired up with Bunuba filmmaker and writer, Perun Bonser, as my mentor, and he really helped me cut through to the heart of what I was trying to say with my screenplay and find the key messages and themes. It was amazing having someone regularly checking in on me and encouraging me to keep writing, I felt like I was finally able to start writing a complete story that, before now, has only been a vague daydream in my head. Thank you!

It helped me connect with my inner self and deal with my past that refused to leave me otherwise.

The mentoring program changed my life as an immigrant and a writer. I was encouraged from the start and I've been shown that my experiences and my differences were big assets in the writing world. I was pushed my my mentor, who was always honest about my writing. The feedback I received was so useful that I was able to win two competitions and get published for the first time in Australia. I also attended several writing and literary events, most of the time accompanied by my mentor, and networking with established writers was very important for me. I feel much more empowered as a writer, as a woman and as an immigrant due to the program and I just know that now I cannot stop.

Additional Findings

Huber Social conducted additional impact measurement for Writing Change, Writing Inclusion in line with the outcomes identified in the Centre for Stories Impact Thesis.

Writers were asked to assess their own level of capability and access to opportunity across 35 different factors which could contribute to their wellbeing. The percentages below represent the largest significant shifts that storytellers self-reported before and after this year's Writing Change, Writing Inclusion.

Heartlines Interviews

Heartlines is a growing collection of interviews with the writers of Writing Change, Writing Inclusion. Heartlines explores what it means to write – from the heart and soul – and where that writing takes us. Every writers’ journey is different, so we invite you to take a moment to read, pause and reflect on what it means to shape stories for the page.

Heartlines explores what it means to write – from the heart and soul – and where that writing takes us. Every writers’ journey is different, so we invite you to take a moment to read, pause and reflect on what it means to shape stories for the page.

Camila Egusquiza

Camila Egusquiza is a writer and aspiring journalist. Her work dives deep into postcolonialism, the migration experience, and reconnecting to culture. Her work has appeared in The Collective Magazine, Pelican Magazine, and Amnesty International UWA’s periodical. Camila previously interned for PEN Perth, housed at Centre for Stories, and now works for Pelican Magazine and a co-editor. Get to know more about Camila, her experience hot desking at Centre for Stories, and her inspiration for writing below.

We know you as Camila the writer, but when you’re not writing, what are you doing?

I do quite a few things outside of writing. I am in my third year at UWA completing my Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Communications. This year I have also taken the role of co-editor for Pelican Magazine, which has allowed me to gain more experience in the field I want to work in. I am also a big film and musical theatre kid so you might find me quite often watching a movie or belting out to the soundtracks of my favourite musicals. Another fun fact about me is that I love reading romance novels to unwind.

What are you currently reading and why? What drew your attention to it?

Surprisingly, right now, I am not reading a romance novel (well… kind of). I am re-reading my favourite book of all time, which I read at least once a year. The book is called 'Podemos ser Héroes' by Martín Roldán Ruiz. It is a collection of short stories all based in Peru during the 80s. The stories tell different realities from cruelty to love and to regret. I think what drew me to it were my parents and the stories they shared when I was growing up, about the hardships they experienced amidst the internal armed conflict that occurred in Peru in the 80s.

Why do you write?

That’s a difficult question to answer. I think a part of me has always been writing since I was little. I am an only child whose parents worked a lot, so I spent a lot of time on my own, coming up with stories and ideas to entertain myself. Somehow those stories in my head turned into something more and it gave me a place to tell stories not many people have heard before. Moving to Australia has inspired me a lot to continue writing. I’ve come to realise how much representation is still needed in Western culture, how much suffering and injustices continue to be unknown by the world, and also how hard it is for many Peruvians (or Latinx) to find a place where they can talk freely about their culture and struggles. So, that’s why I write – I want to tell the story of my people. I want to tell my story and give hope to others.

Now that you’ve completed your hot desk, what will you be working on next?

Right now, I have to focus a lot in my work at Pelican, which is really exciting. I feel like I am learning a lot, not just about the field, but also about me as a person and a future professional. Outside of work, I have some ideas for a story I’ve been developing for a while. I want to branch out a little and perhaps dive into different genres such as historical fiction and even (maybe) fantasy. I also want to learn more about documentary production and videography.

Best writing advice you could give or that you have received?

I read a book a while ago by Neil Gaiman called 'Arts Matters'. In it, he talks a lot about the challenges people face when it comes to making art and the things he wished he knew when he first started. One thing really stuck with me and it is how we tend to not enjoy the ‘journey’. We are always so worried about how perfect our work is and the next deadline that we often forget the amazing things we are actually building for the community. It is okay to have a break from time to time to admire our work and be proud of the legacy we are constructing. It is also okay to have fun.

Camila Egusquiza is a writer and aspiring journalist. Her work dives deep into postcolonialism, the migration experience, and reconnecting to culture. Her work has appeared in The Collective Magazine, Pelican Magazine, and Amnesty International UWA’s periodical.

Luoyang Chen

Luoyang Chen is a poet with a professional background in social work. He is a new participant of the local writing community, having recently moved to Perth and just completed the hot desk fellowship at Centre for Stories. Luoyang’s poetry has been published in Cordite Poetry Review, Farrago and Opal Literary. In this interview Anika Donnison sat down with him to talk about his presence as a poet, where his inspiration comes from, his hot desk fellowship and what he’s planning next.

So, my first question is what are you currently reading and why? What drew your attention to it?

This might have something to do with ADHD, but I like reading so many books at the same time. So, I do have some books that I opened last year that I’m still reading right now, along with the books that I just opened. Robert Wood just gave me two of his books as well. So, it’s a bit hard for me to say, like, what books I’m currently reading and why or what drew my attention to it, sorry!

Don’t worry about it. It sounds like you’ve read a lot of books. Do you have a book that changed your life?

That changed my life? Oh, I wouldn’t say changed my life, but I would say there are some books that mean a lot to me. One of them is Bhanu Kapil’s Ban en Banlieue. So, Bhanu is a British-Indian poet who I think won the T.S Eliot Prize for Poetry last year, for her latest collection How to wash a heart, which explores the experience of being a guest in a host family. You can think of it as being an immigrant in a country and the experience of the immigrant, or as a citizen of colour who was born in a country that is white-dominated. There are different layers of how you read her work, so that’s very interesting. I mean that book is also very important to me as well but Ban en Banlieue is a poetry collection that is not writing but something that resembles writing: it is a collection of, I guess, acts of writing. Or as Bhanu called it “the author’s notes”. It’s a failed novel. It is something that she has been writing over the years. It talks about racism, patriarchy, trauma, migration and reverse migration, about the relationship between mental health issues and post-migration stressors, about making something beautiful out of the shit, out of the detritus. Everything in that book is what is normally excluded in writing and publishing, so I think other than her, I think many writers will normally not publish the draft or the notes they took while they were writing or doing their project. They will only publish the final version of that. But Bhanu used this notetaking to literally use this detritus, this rubbish, to put into a book that has its own unique value. I think that’s what makes it a great poetry collection.

I read that English is not your first language, but yet you write your poetry in English, exclusively. Considering how people are trying to push away from writing in English to decolonise their writing, would you be open to sharing why you have chosen to write in English?

Well, if you asked me this question, say last year, I probably would have given you a different reason than now. So before, I would say it’s because I am scared of being imprisoned by the Chinese government. A lot of the things I write about, not exclusively, but a lot of the, I guess, the ideas and topics or themes that I write about are related to politics or, you could say, the idea of freedom or democracy. But let’s not go into that territory [laughs]. I think my answer to this question changes at different stages of my life. So right now, for me I think English gives me the freedom to write because I started writing – so I didn’t write in Chinese creatively while I was in China – but I noticed that I started writing, or, had the idea of being a writer around about the time I started learning English and knew that I would be studying abroad. I would consider myself a wordsmith: I like observing and taking notes, I have books on English phrases, words and their meaning sitting on my desk, my luggage, and my drawer. Sometimes I will go back and read over them and find how this word and that word pieced together to make something beautiful. So, I’m constantly piecing and putting things together. Like a collage. But that’s my creative strategies or my ways of being creative.

Yes, English is my first language and I know that it is notoriously difficult to learn. But I think it is really unique to be able to pull together words, that others wouldn’t usually use. You are looking at it from another perspective.

That’s right. I feel like that is another point – that I look at a language from another perspective because my cultural background is different from yours and others. But another point is that I am learning English as if I were a child, so in a sense, I am living in a child’s life, like observing and being creative and not being put down. So, I guess this is my way of discovering a language that a native speaker might not, I guess, be aware of. Maybe because when native speakers were growing up, they wouldn’t learn English in a creative way but just learn it in a pragmatic way and forget about the nature or the beautiful side of the language. Because for them, it is just so familiar that they can use it without even thinking about it. But for me it’s different. When I’m using it, I am constantly thinking, well if this is what I actually want to say, do these phrases do it justice in representing my point of view or what I want to express?, so, I will be more careful with language, and because they are unfamiliar to me, that’s why I’m attracted by them.

So, what do you do outside of writing?

Right. So, I am a Master of Social Work student at the University of Western Australia. So, outside, I guess, of writing and reading I am a student and do schoolwork and my prac. I am currently doing my prac at a local primary school. I guess another way to answer your question would be that I never stop thinking about writing because I consider writing multidimensional or multilayered, so I treat pre-writing and post-writing as part of writing. So, for me, writing is not just the process of when you are writing something or typing something. It involves what comes before, when you are thinking or when you are observing, all of that I consider writing – as creating. Because they must come from somewhere. I can’t just sit here and all of a sudden have those words to say. So, I treat my experience and my surroundings and the phenomena that are manifesting around me as equally as important as, I guess, the final version of whatever that is. That’s what I mean about making something beautiful out of the detritus or the everydayness. Yeah, so, I think I never stop writing, as well as while I’m talking to you now, I’m aware of, I guess, maybe I will reflect on my interview with you and a poem will come out. Or even just a phrase.

I think it’s really cool, that writing is so deeply ingrained in your daily life. What is your most surprising hobby?

My most surprising hobby? I guess buying books. So, I have [laughs] lots and lots of books. The worst part is that I haven’t read all of them, and I’m still buying more books. So, I’m reminding myself like, Luoyang you need to go back to your bookshelf. Maybe half of them you haven’t read yet. But I don’t know, I think books are valuable. I’m not treating them like a commodity. Because sometimes, when I buy them, I think I’m ready to read them. But when I get home, you know, there’s not enough time. A year later, or a few months, I pick it up and start reading them. Some of them I bought two to three years ago but I would just leave it there. Some books I just think this is the right time to read this book so I just open it. Sometimes I go back to the books I have read so many times just repeating over and over but every time I learn something new from it.

If you go back to my desk, you will see I have four or five books spread across it. But sometimes with fiction, whenever I pick them back up, I have lost the narratives. So, I feel like, I’ve lost the narratives of books. I think that’s a really good line.

You’ve just completed a hot desk at Centre for Stories. Has the hot desk fellowship changed your daily practice or perception of Perth?

So, before the application – I’m actually new to Perth. I’d been living in Melbourne for four and a half years. But I came to Perth in late February. So I have only been here for about half a year. When I was applying for the hot desk fellowship there was a question asking me why I wanted to apply. My reason was that I wanted to know more people in the writing community and to – not so much network – but have a genuine, sincere, meaningful connection with other creatives. That was my intention in coming here. The first few months, I felt a bit detached from reality or awkward and embarrassed over not being able to make a conversation with others. Then I was seriously thinking about what am I doing here? I mean it’s good to have a space to write, it’s good to get financial support but that was not the main reason why I applied for this fellowship. It was for me to actually find connections with people here. I am literally alone here and didn’t have any friends. I didn’t know anyone besides the people from my uni. But then, I guess you can see now, I am quite relaxed and open now. Which can imply that I have made some meaningful connections and I think this is a safe place to be around. Yeah, so for me, I guess, it makes me comfortable and safe. It’s not just ticking the boxes of “oh, we’re inclusive” or “we respect diversity”. I think they are actually doing it. At least for me, I feel that way. I feel accepted, seen, encouraged, loved and supported here.

Yes, Centre for Stories is very committed to inclusivity and being a welcoming space. They’re about working with others and collaborating and providing a safe place for diverse thoughts through supporting each other: is there anyone at Centre for Stories that would be your ‘dream’ collaborator?

A good question. Well, actually I never thought about that question. I guess based on my interactions, I’d say Raf Gonzalez. Raf writes spoken word poetry. But when he spoke to me or read to me, I didn’t put them into the category of spoken poetry, or it could be poetry on-page as well. Raf has this unique voice and his performance was just that wonderful. At the same time, it’s not just about the sound, it’s not just about the voice, it’s also about the meaning behind the words. That makes me feel like that it’s not just about performance it’s page poetry as well. But Raf can do these performances to make the sounds to, I guess, connect with his audience. At least for me, through the performance, not just the poetry on-page. So I thought maybe I could learn from Raf about the performances or the performative aspect of reading a poem. How to connect to your readers or audience not just through the reading form. But also, through the actual live performance. If that makes sense.

Oh, yeah. I think especially with what you said before about your unique perspective on words. Spoken word poetry will be amazing. Because you have that unique outlook. It is just another way for you to play with the words.

That’s right. I’m really interested in language. Not in that linguistic way, but more the philosophical way. What can language do and what impact it has on us and our personality, our identity, our lifestyles, our lives. I think that resonates with what you said about the words. We pay attention to words and what they do for us.

Absolutely. Can you briefly describe a piece of writing that you worked on during your hot desk that you are particularly excited about?

Before I came here, I had a piece of work I had been working on called Flow: an immigrant in act, it’s a poetry collection that explores and discusses intercultural experiences. It talks about inclusiveness and exclusion and about language and what language does to us, and what’s the nature of language. Does language help us communicate and get closer to each other, or does it exclude people from each other? That’s something that I am very interested in. In that collection, it also talks about racism or anti-racism, about longing about grieving. While being at the Centre for Stories, I didn’t look at them. I was writing some other stuff. They weren’t thematically connected to each other, so I wrote some new lyrical poems that aim to strike against lyrical tradition. Or what I would call reverse lyrics. But they are lyrical poetry themselves. It is very ambiguous; I am writing something against itself. Recently I have been writing a suite of poems called Zoom, that tries to reflect on how the global pandemic affects our lives. Do we actually have time for ourselves to grieve or are we just rushing into normalising everything?

Although you may not have worked on Flow as you intended, it sounds like you have spent a good amount of time thinking it through and pondering over its meaning. What will you be working on next?

I think that I will go back to working on Flow because it has been sitting there for quite a while and I do need to go back and read through it and maybe do another edit. Yeah, I think that will be the next project; however, I might have new projects or ideas coming up. Like I said I think everything is about writing, personally, so it doesn’t mean once it’s finished it is all done. If I have new thoughts, I will come back to them. Perhaps, hopefully, one day I can send them to some editors for writing assessment or publication assessment. But also, I am very interested in sending some of the poems from that collection to literary journals to see if I can get them published, or not, or see if people are interested, or not. I think that is basically my next step.

Although you may not have worked on Flow as you intended, it sounds like you have spent a good amount of time thinking it through and pondering over its meaning. What will you be working on next?

I think that I will go back to working on Flow because it has been sitting there for quite a while and I do need to go back and read through it and maybe do another edit. Yeah, I think that will be the next project; however, I might have new projects or ideas coming up. Like I said I think everything is about writing, personally, so it doesn’t mean once it’s finished it is all done. If I have new thoughts, I will come back to them. Perhaps, hopefully, one day I can send them to some editors for writing assessment or publication assessment. But also, I am very interested in sending some of the poems from that collection to literary journals to see if I can get them published, or not, or see if people are interested, or not. I think that is basically my next step.

Luoyang Chen was born in Fujian, China. He came to Australia in 2016. Luoyang writes poetry. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Cordite Poetry Review, Rabbit, Portside Review, Farrago, Meraki, and Opal Literary. He is currently living in Whadjuk Noongar boodjar (Perth, Western Australia).
Anika Donnison studied Professional Writing and Publishing at Curtin University. She has appeared in GROK and COZE. She currently works as a Social Media Coordinator for Pegasus Professional Accounting.

Highlights

The following section highlights a selection of additional comments from Centre for Stories' Heartlines interviews. You can read the entire collection from Heartlines, here.

I think this place [Centre for Stories] is really needed. In other spaces I always have a guard up. But here I never feel like that. I really found what I wanted to talk about, and I am able to talk about my experiences and feel heard. – Tiffany Ko

I see writing as a way to honour my lineage and ancestors, and my community here today. Ancestrally, I am from a lineage of orators...I also really love the unique position I'm in as a Diaspora Zambian in this country. – Vuma Phiri

Centre for Stories allowed me to meet fellow writers and creatives - some of which I now consider friends - to share my experiences with. I learnt that I am not alone on this writing journey and that my stories are valid and people do indeed care. – J Eh Kaw Thaw Saw

I truly don’t know what it was about the space that allowed me to rev into gear, but maybe it was the fact that one day a week I felt like it was my job to be a storyteller. It felt like my place in the community was to tell stories. It felt like I had a home. – Daley Rangi

There is something magical about creative writing communities. Some of the brightest inspiration comes from talking freely and throwing ideas around with other people who are open-minded and imaginative. I’ve also appreciated the space to share first drafts of my essays safely without needing to worry about upsetting editors or audience. It’s nice to be around people who get it and are happy to be a sounding board in the early stages of writing a piece. – Shenali Perera

Being given this opportunity has really been invaluable to me, it allowed me to prioritise writing even during the hectic final semester of my degree because I would give myself allocated days and really try to consolidate good writing habits and find a process. I thought the hot desk would allow me to consistently focus my energy on one project, and although that wasn’t the case and I ended up writing two very different stories at once I was definitely better able to harness and execute my creative visions. Also everyone at Centre for Stories is so lovely I just want to be there all the time! – Baran Rostamian

The whole energy of the place is just so chill and laid back and cool. I like how open and comforting everything and everyone is and that I got to meet a lot of people from a lot of diverse backgrounds and meeting the people I met got me thinking about who I am and where I come from which inspired me to write stuff like “A Christmas Carol” and “Trials & Tribulations Vs. Tradition”. – Daniel Hansen