Writing Resilience

Writing and sharing our stories can be a powerful way to understand and process experiences of difficulty and trauma. The ‘Writing Resilience’ series aims to provide opportunities for emerging and established writers from Greater Western Sydney to reflect on their recent experiences of social and environmental upheaval in the region. The ‘Stories of Bushfire Recovery’ chapbook, and the memoir pieces emerging from ‘Writing Resilience #2’, will be co-published on the Centre for Western Sydney website.

Writing Resilience #1: Stories of Bushfire Recovery

‘Stories of Bushfire Recovery’ included a series of writing workshops requested by the Lithgow community. Lithgow regional residents were guided to explore how creative writing might become a useful tool in bushfire recovery. Workshops were run from the new Maldhan Ngurr Ngurra Lithgow Transformation Hub by Dr Gretchen Shirm. A digital chapbook publication was subsequently produced by the community.

Writing Resilience #2: Sharing Lives in Lockdown from Western Sydney

‘Sharing Lives in Lockdown’ was aimed at nurturing a storytelling space for emerging writers in the GWS region to articulate their stories of lockdown, and to potentially redefine public and media narratives of Western Sydney under COVID-19 restrictions. Through guided workshops, two emerging writers were supported to explore the craft of memoir-writing as a creative means of sharing their stories as collective tools for empowerment and healing. The workshops were run by Turkish-Australian writer, Eda Gunaydin.