Sarah Tiffen sees the book launch as a watershed moment. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A group of writers and poets from the Riverina town of Leeton has joined forces with the London-based Ruskin Park House Writers to publish a collection of poems, reflections, short stories, imagery and extracts about living through the pandemic.
A black-tie gala celebration to launch Memoirs and Reflections: Life in the time of Covid will take place at 10 Kurrajong Ave, Leeton, at 6:30 pm on Saturday, 12 November.
Leeton writer and poet Sarah Tiffen, who formed the Leeton Writers Collective and later its associated publishing arm Riverina Writing House, says the book’s release is a “watershed moment” for her group.
“A group of people who live in a block of flats in London have collaborated with those of us here in Leeton … I was able to edit this book on my laptop while I was lying in bed and felt as if I was dying of COVID.”
Former NSW education minister and Riverina Writing House patron Adrian Piccoli, who once represented Leeton in state parliament, wrote the foreword for the publication.
“I am moved and uplifted by this project. Out of all the suffering and struggle [this book is] to remind us that we stood together as we stood apart, a testament to the human heart, and the determination to overcome,” he wrote.
The book includes contributions from Leeton Writers Collective members David Atherton-Cooper, Ivy Snell, Melanie Ifield, Olivia Kibui, Jason Richardson, Cynthia Arel, Jess Wells, Sue Killham, Lauren Forner, Grace Tynan, CJ Talbot and Ben Smith.
“Locked within invisible bubbles, we wait, like prisoners, awaiting our release, to beauty and to rapture and the simple human luxuries of company and touch,” Mr Atherton-Cooper wrote in his poem How Strange The Times, which sums up the general mood of the book.
Leeton Writers Collective meets at the Hydro. Photo: Leeton Writers Collective Facebook page.
Ms Tiffen says she is a delighted her collective, which has 120 members, now has a means to showcase its work.
“People were clamouring for a sense of connection … all these writers in Leeton came out of the woodwork [to form the group]. It’s a space for people to get together to share their stories, to talk about writing and to support each other in their writing.”
Ms Tiffen was born and bred in Leeton, but later moved to Canberra and worked for a number of government departments, where her talent for political speech writing quickly became evident.
“How do you write such immaculate bulls***?” a colleague asked when they read a speech she had written for former NSW premier Bob Carr. She has also prepared speeches for politicians such as Julie Bishop, Kevin Rudd and Tony Burke.
But there came a point when she’d had enough and decided to return home.
“I decided I didn’t want to give the rest of my life to the public service,” she said.
Ms Tiffen is more comfortable mentoring and encouraging those in her local collective.
“People who by day are tradies or mums get to show another side to them … there is something about the landscape of this town that lends itself to writing,” she said.
Anyone interested in joining the Leeton Writers Collective or finding out more information can message Ms Tiffen through the group’s Facebook page. The group meets every Wednesday night at 6:30 at the Hydro Bar.
Loading ...
