Writers Victoria

Fairy tales told over and over hold supposedly universal truths about life. Within them are kernels to pluck out, examine, challenge and then plant in your own writing. Tales that capture our collective fascination do so at their own peril. They are ripe for scrutinising, especially so long after their spoken words were set in ink. They beg to be retold, to continue to evolve as they would have done in the mouths of storytellers. In this course, we’ll examine strategies for doing this.

You can find details of how Covid-19 restrictions will affect the workshop here: https://writersvictoria.org.au/about-us/covid-19-information/. You are encouraged to wear a mask in the workshop space. The Wheeler Centre’s policy is that close contacts should not attend the building. If you are a close contact of somebody with Covid-19, or have Covid-19 symptoms yourself, please do not attend[email protected] to arrange a refund in this situation.

You Will Learn:

• · How to take a well-known fairy tale and mine it for a fresh angle.
• · What to highlight, and what to prune when re-writing.
• · Ways to work with (or against) archetypes and symbolism to emphasise less considered perspectives.
• · Approaches to blending multiple stories to create a coherent narrative.
• · That you can defy your source material, genre and all markers that make it recognisable.

About the Tutor:

Michael Earp is a non-binary writer living in Naarm, editor of the anthologies Kindred: 12 Queer #LoveOzYA Stories and Everything Under The Moon: Fairy tales in a queerer light (October 2023). With a teaching degree and a Masters in children’s literature, they have worked between bookselling and publishing for twenty years and were named ABA Bookseller of the Year in 2021. Their writing has appeared in Archer, The Age, PopMatters, The Victorian Writer and Aurealis. 

Not a Member?

Members of Writers Victoria receive up to 37% off the full price of our workshops, seminars and courses. In addition, members have access to a range of other discounts and opportunities and receive a subscription to 'The Victorian Writer' magazine. Memberships start from just $50. Find out more about becoming a member here.

Book early to access our early bird prices! These expire 9 days before the course begins. Please keep in mind that our workshops require a minimum number of participants to run, so booking early also helps ensure that a workshop will go ahead. 

When: 14 October 2023 - 10:00 through 04:00 pm Where: The Wheeler Centre 176 Little Lonsdale Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia