VISIONARY Paul Mason Robyn Sheahan-Bright-Writing for Comics - Australia Day Honours List - Amherst Writers & Artists
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VISIONARY
Paul Mason
ISSUE 272 Robyn Sheahan-Bright
– Writing for Comics
– Australia Day Honours List
Mar 2021 – May 2021
PUBLISHED BY
ISSN 1444-2922
ISSUE 272
Editorial
Sandra Makaresz
Editor
GUEST ARTIST
Paul Mason
Cover Illustration
“Visionary”
Biography: Visionary is the theme of this issue of WQ and I think you’ll be amazed at the
Dr Paul Mason is an award-winning mix of old and new ways of exploring this theme. From storytelling in video
cartoonist, and animation concept games and virtual reality, to the visionary leap of an author opening their work
designer, working for companies up to the possibility of collaboration through our Adaptable competition.
such as Frew Publications, Gestalt
There is so much to inspire us about the future of writing and the timeless
Comics, and A Stark Productions.
nature of great writing.
He is a sessional lecturer in visual
storytelling, art direction, animation Our cover design is by comic book artist and writer, Paul Mason. It contains
pre-production, and comics in the a small tribute to the braille alphabet that we hope you’ll find interesting and
Bachelor of Animation program at thought provoking. Take a look – you might be inspired to find out more.
the Griffith Film School.
www.masoncomics.com.au
The Queensland Writers Centre, Management Committee and staff present WQ
in good faith and accept no responsibility for any misinformation or problems
arising from any misinformation. The views expressed by contributors or
advertisers (including advertising supplying inserts) are not necessarily those
of the Management Committee or staff.
2 WQ
Writing With A Vision
By Wendy Dartnall
Writing With A Vision, a writing group beginning of each meeting so they Members of Writing With A Vision
for blind and vision impaired people would know where their friends were learned about craft through specific
in Brisbane, was affectionately sitting around the room. writing prompts, positive feedback
known by its members as WWAVIES. at meetings, and group or private
We met regularly for 16 years, and For the first writing prompt, I invited editing sessions. If someone
finally disbanded in December 2020 each person to reach into a large presented a manuscript draft for
with a fond farewell party. basket of everyday objects, feel for critique, everyone was invited to
one to hold in their hands, and then give considered critical comments.
I wondered how vision impaired write first thoughts and keep going. I saw writers develop their skills and
people wrote, when in 2005 I was Afterwards, a retired scientist said overcome fears.
invited to speak to blind and vision stoutly that she never thought she
impaired people about writing would write about a plastic funnel, but At every meeting there were always
groups. Some of them wanted to it had taken her back to the laboratory enough volunteer scribes/readers to
form their own writing group, having and a story came instantly. A man write stories as people dictated them.
already started a book club, organised chuckled, saying he never thought he Scribes then typed and emailed them
by the Queensland Narrating Service. would write about a necklace, but it back to the writer. A scribe needs
I volunteered to kick-start them, to be like a human pencil during
had reminded him of his mother in
saying that they would be able to the creative process, writing what
Sri Lanka. Writers allowed their inner
run it themselves after a few months. they are given, never suggesting
critic to take a back seat and followed
Sixteen years later I was still there, alternative words, unless asked to
wherever memory and imagination
along with many of the founding by the writer, and never objecting to
flowed for them, letting unexpected
members. content on moral grounds.
words and images lead the way. It is
Fifteen people came to the first in this kind of allowing that we can In 2009, the group produced a
meeting. Some were able to write begin to find our voice in writing. double CD set of stories and poems
by hand, others brought laptop called My Mind’s Eye. Brisbane’s Radio
The group name of Writing With A
computers, one or two had braille for the Print Handicapped, Radio
Vision was chosen by its members.
machines, while others had human 4RPH, let us narrate them in their
They soon found confidence and joy
scribes who wrote what was dictated recording studio. It was encouraging
in writing, both together and alone.
to them. for the writers to have a goal to
After the first two years, our meetings work towards. We made a second
I explained that it was my first time were held at Brisbane Square Library recording with Radio 4RPH in 2019
with a group of vision impaired people until early in 2020, when Covid-19 called Tapestries of Life.
and that I might say daft things like forced us all to isolate. We continued
‘have a look at this.’ They laughed and sharing our stories and comments by Braille House in Brisbane runs
told me that one thing they would email, but it is not an easy medium The Dickinson Memorial Literary
always require was a rollcall at the for some forms of vision impairment. Competition, an annual writing
8 WQ
competition for Australian residents acknowledge how the content writing: Writing Alone & With Others
who are legally blind. It boosted the sparkles, can cause a child to believe (2003) and How the Light Gets In (2013).
confidence of our group’s writers they cannot write. These beliefs can I share Pat’s belief that everyone has
who entered it and often won prizes last a lifetime; likewise, someone with a voice and art belongs to everyone.
over the years. a physical disability who missed a few We all have the right to write.
building blocks in their education,
Vision Australia’s website informs us: might think creative writing is beyond
“Government departments use the them. Wendy Dartnall writes short stories
term ‘legally blind’ to define a person and poetry. Her memoir, A Wind from
whose degree of sight loss entitles It sometimes takes a visionary to show the East, was published in 2016. She
them to special benefits.” Definitions us the light. Mine was Pat Schneider, has a BA in English Literature from
the University of Queensland and
are useful for running societies, but the founder of Amherst Writers &
is an affiliate of Amherst Writers &
prejudices can damage us, even Artists of which I am an affiliate.
Artists (AWA). She currently runs AWA
unconscious ones. For example, the A visionary teacher, Pat inspired workshops online called Writing Voices.
teacher who writes over a child’s thousands of writers throughout her
work in red pen because spelling or life using the AWA method, and her
grammar is incorrect and doesn’t legacy lives on through her books on
WWW.QLDWRITERS.ORG.AU.MAGAZINE 9
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