On January 19, the South Coast Writers Centre celebrated wonderful news as storyteller Dr Aunty Barbara Nicholson was named the 2024 Wollongong Citizen of the Year.
Aunty Barb is a founding member of SCWC, a board member and a new Life Member. 2024 marks her 12th year of producing the Dreaming Inside anthologies of writing from First Nations inmates. The books are produced as part of a program to help inmates improve their literacy skills; in doing so, it also boosts self-esteem, self-understanding and cultural awareness.
Readers can support Aunty Barb’s work by buying the anthologies via SCWC’s website. The next volume of Dreaming Inside will be launched at Wollongong Art Gallery in May as part of the Sydney Writers Festival satellite program. The special guest speaker on the evening will be Aboriginal author Graham Akhurst.
The South Coast Writers Centre is currently fundraising to support its Community Writing Programs which have helped hundreds of local writers, including young and emerging writers, refugee and migrant writers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, and those experiencing financial hardship.
The fundraising campaign, as well as seeking local small business sponsors and donations, is offering ‘perks’ in return for support including new and rare books, online writing courses, theatre tickets from Merrigong Theatre, mentoring from Screen Illawarra and ‘foodie’ packs of wine and deli treats, teas and jams, beer and wine.
The campaign aims to raise $12,500 by the end of May which will be matched by Creative Australia’s Plus One.
