The Clubhouse
Welcome! Glad you’ve found us.
Here you will find an interactive blog where you can chat with some of Australia’s very best writers and storytellers, hear what they have been up to and you can tell them about your stories. We have videos of some amazing writers reading from their latest books, writers and illustrators giving you in-depth tips and tricks for your writing and drawing, You can find out about competitions, read the work of other kids your age, there’s information about the after-school and holiday workshops we run. We have information for your parents about how they can use your Creative Kids voucher they receive from the NSW Government.
The Clubhouse awaits – just keep scrolling or click on the blobs above.
The Blog
This month’s guest blogger:
Emily Gale
Emily Gale is a writer and editor who has worked in the book industry for 25 years in various places: publishers, a literary agent, a bookshop, and two school libraries. Meanwhile, she’s been writing novels across several age groups and has been shortlisted for various Australian awards.
Emily’s writing includes the YA novels Girl, Aloud (2009), Steal My Sunshine (2013), I Am Out with Lanterns (2018), and its middle-grade companion The Other Side of Summer (2016), the narrative non-fiction Aussie Stem Stars: Gisela Kaplan (2021) and junior fiction Eliza Boom’s Diary (2014). Emily’s latest novel Elsewhere Girls (2021) is a time-slip written with her friend Nova Weetman, and her next is called The Goodbye Year (2022).
Take A Leaf Out Of My Book – Emily Gale
Dictionary definition: take a leaf out of someone's book: to imitate someone, esp in one particular course...
All The Bookish Jobs – Emily Gale
At the beginning of my blogging month, I mentioned that I've had a few different jobs that involve books....
How To Come Up With a Book Title – Emily Gale
I love brainstorming book titles . . . or chapter headings . . . or horse names (did you see my last blog...
If In Doubt, Add A Dog – Emily Gale
In my intro post, I mentioned how important my dog Charlie is to my writing. Here are some of the ways he's...
Name That Horse! – Emily Gale
Elsewhere Girls came out in 2021, written by me and Nova Weetman and published by Text. It's a time-slip and...
Where Shall We Go This Weekend? – Emily Gale
With a public holiday on Monday, this weekend is fifty percent longer for many people in Australia. For...
Watch and Listen
Alaa Alfaraon draws WATERCOLOUR MONSTERS!
Narelda Joy draws MOONBEAM
Jack Heath reads from Kid President Totally Rules!
Meet the Bluenoses! From WestWords favourite, Martin Chatterton.
Pamela Freeman reads from Dry to Dry: Seasons of Kakadu
Liz Anelli shows you how to paint a stormy sky!
Mitch Vane draws TAMARA DOODLE!
Elizabeth Stewart shows you how to draw a funny dinosaur!
James Foley shows you how to draw THOR!
Nat Amoore reads from The Right Way to Rock
Share, Show & Tell
WestWords Mini Master Class
Think It Up - Write It Down
Creative Kids Program
WestWords
WestWords is dedicated to celebrating and championing the stories of the people, places and cultures that comprise the heart of Western Sydney. We believe that there is nothing more powerful than being able to tell your story and for you to write the stories you want to tell. These skills are skills for life. WestWords assists through a comprehensive program of workshops, residencies, fellowships and support for writers. For more information: westwords.com.au