August 21, 2025 • 13 mins
Vision Australia Radio is proud to return as a media partner for the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival! And in 2026, the Vision Australia Library is stepping up its support—encouraging members to showcase their creativity through the festival’s microfiction competition. Together, we’re celebrating storytelling, writing, and reading across Melbourne’s west and beyond, reaching festival-goers, Vision Australia clients, and our radio listeners alike.
In this interview highlight, Brimbank Libraries’ Scott Steensma joins us in the studio to share what’s in store for this year’s festival, while Vi Nguyen from the Vision Australia Library unveils the exciting theme of the microfiction competition.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
On Vision Australia Radio. This is Jason Gibbs and I'm
joined by Scott Steensma, who is part of Brimbank City Council.
He's a librarian, and he's also involved in the Brimbank
Writers and Readers Festival, in which we are a media partner.
So Scott, the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival will return
in 2026. For those unfamiliar, what sets this festival apart
(00:34):
from others like it?
S2 (00:35):
Well, Jason, there's a couple of things, but the main
thing that makes the festival different is that from the start,
which was 21 years ago now, we've tried to make
sure that readers are considered to be as important as
writers in the festival. So the festival is a special
mix of author talks and panel discussions, as well as
writing workshops for all ages and levels, from novice screenwriters
to seasoned poets. So we've we've tried to have it
(00:57):
as something for everybody, really.
S1 (00:58):
Are there any major changes or exciting developments planned for
the next year's festival?
S2 (01:03):
So there are a few. Firstly, the micro fiction competition
that we run, which has always been quite popular. We're
changing the timing so that it's towards the end of
this year, a better time of year for school entrance
in particular, and also not over the holiday period, so
people have a bit more time. We hope to reflect
and create interesting pieces. We're also looking at having a
(01:25):
few new space activations with video and text based art,
as well as our usual panels that we run with
topics that are loved by the community, like graphic graphic
novels and crime fiction, which are two of our most
popular genres at Brimbank libraries. But the major change that
we're making for the 2026 festival is that it's going
to be condensed down to four days. All right. So yeah. Yeah.
(01:46):
So instead of having two weeks, we're going to have four. Absolutely.
Action packed days full of events. And they're going to
be based in one location which will be sunshine, the
Brimbank Community Centre, the Civic centre. We're hoping that this
will help achieve just a more of a festival feel.
And yeah, just make it a lot easier for the
community to access our events.
S1 (02:07):
Oh, look, it sounds like if you're coming from out
of town, book your Airbnb. Now, stay in sunshine for
a couple of nights. Right? Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Oh. Very good. Uh, and, Scott,
what kind of community feedback have you received in recent years?
What have people particularly enjoyed about the festival?
S2 (02:23):
So we always hear back from the community, particularly regarding
to the events that they enjoy. Um, and there were
quite a few events over the last few years that
were that were really popular, and we've noticed that the
community's quite interested in intergenerational events, events with a point
of difference. So last year we had a full house for, um,
our opening with Kate Ceberano, and we had a closing
concert with Mitch Tambo, and they were both, you know,
(02:46):
just fantastic artists showcasing the power of storytelling. So we've
had a lot of feedback for more of more of
that if we can get it.
S1 (02:53):
Fantastic. Well, we're here mainly to talk about the return
of the Microfiction competition. Can you tell us what it's
all about and, uh, perhaps share the key dates with us?
We'll revisit them at the end as well, just to
make sure everyone's across.
S2 (03:05):
Absolutely. Every year as part of the festival, we've run
a microfiction competition for some time now where we're aiming
to celebrate writers from, um, from Melbourne's western suburbs and
also now from the Vision Australia listener community. And if
you haven't heard of it, Microfiction is a is a
unique beast. It's bite sized, but still big enough to
tell a story. So we're looking for stories of around
(03:26):
200 words or less. So they're really just a few
paragraphs at the most. Long enough for a cup of tea,
although probably not a very hot one. And there are
prizes up for grabs too. So this this year we're
asking for writers to write stories inspired by a Helen
Keller quote, which is keep your face to the sunshine
and you cannot see a shadow, which was actually suggested
(03:47):
by one of Virgin Australia's staff members who will be
speaking to, I believe later on you can write anything
you like in the Microfiction comp around that theme. It
could be fantasy, science fiction, gritty realist literature, whatever takes
your fancy. And the dates to for people to Remember
are that the competition opens on the 1st of November
and it closes on the 15th of December. So there's
(04:08):
a month long opening period. What's that? About 30 days
if you're writing 200 words. Uh, what would that be?
About 6 or 7 words a day. Not an unmanageable workload.
And we'll be announcing the winners on air in March
next year during the festival itself.
S1 (04:22):
Okay, well, I'm glad we covered that off quickly. Uh,
early in the piece because, uh, clearly the dates have
changed a little bit, and that's good news. Yeah, let's
reveal some more. Now we've got the in the studio.
So what was the thought, the reasoning behind that theme?
S3 (04:34):
Yes. I just thought that with the A library and
VA radio partnering with Brimbank, I thought it'd be really
fitting to find a quote that sort of resonates across
both groups. And so I thought, keep your face to
the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. Great quote
from Helen Keller. And, uh, you know, there's not enough
words to describe Helen Keller, but inspiring and remarkable is
one of those few words. And we find that those
(04:55):
values are reflective of the Australian community as well. As
Brimbank is rich in diverse cultural landscape, and the reference
to sunshine is just a lovely nod to the area
as well. Sunshine is home to great people, great food
and a very beautiful library.
S1 (05:07):
Very good.
S2 (05:08):
I'd like to thank you for that amazing quote. As
soon as you suggested it, we knew that it was
just perfect for the competition. As soon as we we
saw it, we were like, that's it, we're done. We're
done with this, this section of the planning. It's just fantastic.
Thank you.
S3 (05:20):
You're welcome.
S1 (05:21):
Back to Scott for a moment. Who can enter the
competition this year and what categories are there?
S2 (05:25):
Anyone who listens to Vision Australia Radio is welcome to enter,
as well as any other aspiring writers from Melbourne's western suburbs.
We have three categories. That's youth from 10 to 14,
teen from 15 to 18 years old, and adult plus.
We'll accept entries in text or audio, so if you
have a story you'd like to send in as a recording,
we would love to hear it. As long as it's
under 200 words, it's in and you can enter via
(05:48):
the website. The entry page isn't up yet, but it
will be ready to go for entries, uh, by the
15th of November.
S1 (05:53):
Fantastic. I'm going to go back to V now for
a moment. Uh, V, obviously is our library community engagement coordinator,
so I'd like to ask you why you think writing
festivals like this one are important to Vision Australia, particularly
for library users and our radio audience?
S3 (06:07):
Oh, yeah. On behalf of the V community, I think
that our clients, our radio listeners, our library members just
really appreciate the opportunity to read and write. Not only
are they especially keen readers, they also some published writers,
aspiring authors, poets, and just general creatives. And I've had
the pleasure of reading some of the work. Really brilliant
stuff and amazingly, really great stories. Events like this are
(06:28):
such a fantastic way to reignite that interest, especially in
the creative platform and just having people share their incredible stories.
There's so many great stories to tell. I can't express
that enough. Speaking from personal experience working at the V&A libraries,
our members enjoy participating in our writing programs and we
run that throughout the year. We recently had a writing
programs where a lot of clients have said, you know, gee,
(06:50):
I'd love to enter a competition. And this seems like
it's well timed for our community to participate.
S1 (06:57):
Oh very nice. An incredibly diverse community of clients, Vision Australia,
so really great that we're providing these opportunities through a
partnership with Brimbank. The. For anyone in Brimbank or beyond
who may not be familiar with the Vision Australia Library,
could you give a brief overview of the service and
how someone can sign up?
S3 (07:14):
Yeah of course. Vision Australia Library is a free national
public library service for anyone with a print disability, so
this includes people who are blind or low vision, as
well as those with conditions like multiple sclerosis, stroke or
visual processing disorders, where people cannot hold or manipulate a
book so they find reading printed text or handling physical
books very challenging. The great thing about our library is
(07:34):
that we offer 70,000 titles in audio and Braille.
S1 (07:37):
Wow, that's a lot, isn't it?
S3 (07:38):
Very large, extensive collection. Um, we also have a service
where library members can actually suggest books. It's free as well,
I might add keyword free. Yep.
S1 (07:47):
Always helpful. We on this cost of living crisis we're in.
S3 (07:50):
That's right. Among that, we also run regular reading, writing
programs and personalized support services like the transcription service, where
people can actually get their preferred format, uh, transcribe. So
whether it's large print or audio or Braille, we have
a team who does that. Signing up is actually quite easy.
You can visit our website. There's a form you can
fill out, or you can simply call us on 1300 654 656,
(08:14):
and our friendly team will guide you through that process.
Another thing I'd like to add is that we also
work closely with public libraries across Australia to promote accessibility
and inclusion. We also have a public library liaison officer,
who is available to offer advice and support on making
local library services more inclusive for people who are blind
and have low vision. And we're always enthusiastic to partner
with and support libraries looking to expand their accessible offerings.
S1 (08:37):
We will the Vision Australia library team be involved in
any other parts of the 2026 festival?
S3 (08:42):
Yes, the Vision Australia library team will be supporting the
festival in the lead up by promoting it across our networks,
including our radio and library newsletters and also in communications
with our clients and our existing writing groups. We'll also
be highlighting our transcription services that I mentioned, that it's
a very valuable service, where library members can utilise that
to have 360 pages of print information transcribed in their
(09:03):
preferred format. So we're encouraging people to utilise the service
so that they can enter their work. To be a
shame that for anyone who has some piece of writing,
you know, scribble on a napkin that, uh, is just
hanging around but feels like it's trash at this point. Uh,
that trash could turn into some gold. So we encourage
anyone to submit in their trash. And let's turn the gold.
S1 (09:24):
Nice. Very good. Well, back to Scott. Now, aside from
the glory of winning, are there any other incentives or
rewards for people who take part in the Microfiction competition?
S2 (09:34):
Well, the glory is substantial, but there are certainly are
some other incentives. We have prizes in each category, so
across the three categories, third place is $150 book voucher.
Second place is a $200 book voucher and first place
is 250. So considering it's a 200 word story per word,
that's a prize that would I reckon would probably get
(09:55):
Stephen King off his couch. Prizes are usually with booksellers
here in the in the western suburbs. There's also the
chance to have your story published on our website. And
last year we also read the winning stories aloud, had
readings on um on Vision Australia Radio. Uh, we had
some of them published in one of our local papers,
and we're also investigating the possibility of publishing a book
(10:15):
of all the entries next year.
S1 (10:18):
Fantastic. And putting that program together last year, uh, with
Frances Keelan, uh, our presenter of Hear This, uh, was
absolutely a lot of fun. I got a lot of
enjoyment out of that and a real greater appreciation for microfiction,
because you could really tell what goes into it, and
incredibly challenging to set the scene and create a story
within such a small space of time. So looking forward
(10:38):
to being involved in that, as are the rest of
the team at Vision Australia. A couple of final questions.
This one's for both of you. We'll start with, I reckon,
V's perspective. What do you think participants gain from the experience?
S3 (10:50):
V are some words of advice. I would say from
my personal experience, don't be afraid to share your story.
About a decade ago actually entered in one of the
early incarnations of the writing festival, and as a resident
myself back then, I entered and placed as a runner up.
So great at the time, I had doubts about entering. But,
you know, self-doubt always creeps in. So for me, I
(11:11):
would just take inspiration from that. Helen Keller quote. Keep
your face towards the sunshine. Not, I mean, not literally,
because that's not good for your eyes and for those
who are not writers, even if you don't see yourself
as a writer, there's something incredibly powerful about just putting
pen to paper. So the worst that can happen is
you can write something quite heartfelt that it might inspire
by others. When you work in a library like myself
and Scott, you're constantly reminded about the words and stories
(11:34):
have real power and sharing them is just really empowering.
So I encourage those to feel like just to write
down your story and share it with the world.
S1 (11:44):
Brilliant response Scott.
S2 (11:45):
I absolutely agree with that. That's some fantastic advice. Just
about every creative person has a degree of self doubt. Yeah,
it's something to to try and minimize and and remember
that the stories you've got to tell are unique to you,
and we're really interested in reading them as well as that.
Writing is something that gets better with practice. So if
you've ever wanted to write a story, this is a
chance for you to hone your craft in a small
(12:07):
and manageable way. Our previous winners and people who've placed
have included numerous people who've never entered competitions before, so
this could be your chance.
S1 (12:16):
Fantastic. And before we wrap up, Scott, can you just
remind us a little bit, uh, one more time, a
quick recap of those key dates and let our listeners
know where they can find more information about the festival
as a whole.
S2 (12:27):
The competition opens on the 1st of November. The competition
will close on Monday, the 15th of December. Uh, and
we'll be announcing the, um, results in the festival next year,
which will be in March 2026. Uh, the opening night
for the festival will be the 19th of March next year,
and the festival will take place over the next four
days until the 22nd. The website and program will be
(12:49):
officially launched at the end of January 2026, but there
will be information up on our website about the Microfiction
competition over the next few months.
S1 (12:58):
Thank you so much. Last year, um, when we did
the pre promote of the festival, we talked about all
the reasons why people should visit Brimbank. Uh, why, you know,
it'd be a great place for industry. Look, Costco opened.
I think we did our job. Um, lots of people
coming into the area. Good news for everyone. Uh, and
a big thank you to V, who is having his
radio debut today. Did a very good job. If you've
(13:19):
got any encouraging words for V radio, uh, V and Scott,
thank you so much for joining us on Vision Australia
Radio today. We are absolutely pumped and looking forward to
next year's festival.
S2 (13:30):
Thanks so much, Jason. It's been.
S3 (13:32):
A pleasure.
On Vision Australia Radio. This is Jason Gibbs and I'm
joined by Scott Steensma, who is part of Brimbank City Council.
He's a librarian, and he's also involved in the Brimbank
Writers and Readers Festival, in which we are a media partner.
So Scott, the Brimbank Writers and Readers Festival will return
in 2026. For those unfamiliar, what sets this festival apart
(00:34):
from others like it?
S2 (00:35):
Well, Jason, there's a couple of things, but the main
thing that makes the festival different is that from the start,
which was 21 years ago now, we've tried to make
sure that readers are considered to be as important as
writers in the festival. So the festival is a special
mix of author talks and panel discussions, as well as
writing workshops for all ages and levels, from novice screenwriters
to seasoned poets. So we've we've tried to have it
(00:57):
as something for everybody, really.
S1 (00:58):
Are there any major changes or exciting developments planned for
the next year's festival?
S2 (01:03):
So there are a few. Firstly, the micro fiction competition
that we run, which has always been quite popular. We're
changing the timing so that it's towards the end of
this year, a better time of year for school entrance
in particular, and also not over the holiday period, so
people have a bit more time. We hope to reflect
and create interesting pieces. We're also looking at having a
(01:25):
few new space activations with video and text based art,
as well as our usual panels that we run with
topics that are loved by the community, like graphic graphic
novels and crime fiction, which are two of our most
popular genres at Brimbank libraries. But the major change that
we're making for the 2026 festival is that it's going
to be condensed down to four days. All right. So yeah. Yeah.
(01:46):
So instead of having two weeks, we're going to have four. Absolutely.
Action packed days full of events. And they're going to
be based in one location which will be sunshine, the
Brimbank Community Centre, the Civic centre. We're hoping that this
will help achieve just a more of a festival feel.
And yeah, just make it a lot easier for the
community to access our events.
S1 (02:07):
Oh, look, it sounds like if you're coming from out
of town, book your Airbnb. Now, stay in sunshine for
a couple of nights. Right? Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Oh. Very good. Uh, and, Scott,
what kind of community feedback have you received in recent years?
What have people particularly enjoyed about the festival?
S2 (02:23):
So we always hear back from the community, particularly regarding
to the events that they enjoy. Um, and there were
quite a few events over the last few years that
were that were really popular, and we've noticed that the
community's quite interested in intergenerational events, events with a point
of difference. So last year we had a full house for, um,
our opening with Kate Ceberano, and we had a closing
concert with Mitch Tambo, and they were both, you know,
(02:46):
just fantastic artists showcasing the power of storytelling. So we've
had a lot of feedback for more of more of
that if we can get it.
S1 (02:53):
Fantastic. Well, we're here mainly to talk about the return
of the Microfiction competition. Can you tell us what it's
all about and, uh, perhaps share the key dates with us?
We'll revisit them at the end as well, just to
make sure everyone's across.
S2 (03:05):
Absolutely. Every year as part of the festival, we've run
a microfiction competition for some time now where we're aiming
to celebrate writers from, um, from Melbourne's western suburbs and
also now from the Vision Australia listener community. And if
you haven't heard of it, Microfiction is a is a
unique beast. It's bite sized, but still big enough to
tell a story. So we're looking for stories of around
(03:26):
200 words or less. So they're really just a few
paragraphs at the most. Long enough for a cup of tea,
although probably not a very hot one. And there are
prizes up for grabs too. So this this year we're
asking for writers to write stories inspired by a Helen
Keller quote, which is keep your face to the sunshine
and you cannot see a shadow, which was actually suggested
(03:47):
by one of Virgin Australia's staff members who will be
speaking to, I believe later on you can write anything
you like in the Microfiction comp around that theme. It
could be fantasy, science fiction, gritty realist literature, whatever takes
your fancy. And the dates to for people to Remember
are that the competition opens on the 1st of November
and it closes on the 15th of December. So there's
(04:08):
a month long opening period. What's that? About 30 days
if you're writing 200 words. Uh, what would that be?
About 6 or 7 words a day. Not an unmanageable workload.
And we'll be announcing the winners on air in March
next year during the festival itself.
S1 (04:22):
Okay, well, I'm glad we covered that off quickly. Uh,
early in the piece because, uh, clearly the dates have
changed a little bit, and that's good news. Yeah, let's
reveal some more. Now we've got the in the studio.
So what was the thought, the reasoning behind that theme?
S3 (04:34):
Yes. I just thought that with the A library and
VA radio partnering with Brimbank, I thought it'd be really
fitting to find a quote that sort of resonates across
both groups. And so I thought, keep your face to
the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. Great quote
from Helen Keller. And, uh, you know, there's not enough
words to describe Helen Keller, but inspiring and remarkable is
one of those few words. And we find that those
(04:55):
values are reflective of the Australian community as well. As
Brimbank is rich in diverse cultural landscape, and the reference
to sunshine is just a lovely nod to the area
as well. Sunshine is home to great people, great food
and a very beautiful library.
S1 (05:07):
Very good.
S2 (05:08):
I'd like to thank you for that amazing quote. As
soon as you suggested it, we knew that it was
just perfect for the competition. As soon as we we
saw it, we were like, that's it, we're done. We're
done with this, this section of the planning. It's just fantastic.
Thank you.
S3 (05:20):
You're welcome.
S1 (05:21):
Back to Scott for a moment. Who can enter the
competition this year and what categories are there?
S2 (05:25):
Anyone who listens to Vision Australia Radio is welcome to enter,
as well as any other aspiring writers from Melbourne's western suburbs.
We have three categories. That's youth from 10 to 14,
teen from 15 to 18 years old, and adult plus.
We'll accept entries in text or audio, so if you
have a story you'd like to send in as a recording,
we would love to hear it. As long as it's
under 200 words, it's in and you can enter via
(05:48):
the website. The entry page isn't up yet, but it
will be ready to go for entries, uh, by the
15th of November.
S1 (05:53):
Fantastic. I'm going to go back to V now for
a moment. Uh, V, obviously is our library community engagement coordinator,
so I'd like to ask you why you think writing
festivals like this one are important to Vision Australia, particularly
for library users and our radio audience?
S3 (06:07):
Oh, yeah. On behalf of the V community, I think
that our clients, our radio listeners, our library members just
really appreciate the opportunity to read and write. Not only
are they especially keen readers, they also some published writers,
aspiring authors, poets, and just general creatives. And I've had
the pleasure of reading some of the work. Really brilliant
stuff and amazingly, really great stories. Events like this are
(06:28):
such a fantastic way to reignite that interest, especially in
the creative platform and just having people share their incredible stories.
There's so many great stories to tell. I can't express
that enough. Speaking from personal experience working at the V&A libraries,
our members enjoy participating in our writing programs and we
run that throughout the year. We recently had a writing
programs where a lot of clients have said, you know, gee,
(06:50):
I'd love to enter a competition. And this seems like
it's well timed for our community to participate.
S1 (06:57):
Oh very nice. An incredibly diverse community of clients, Vision Australia,
so really great that we're providing these opportunities through a
partnership with Brimbank. The. For anyone in Brimbank or beyond
who may not be familiar with the Vision Australia Library,
could you give a brief overview of the service and
how someone can sign up?
S3 (07:14):
Yeah of course. Vision Australia Library is a free national
public library service for anyone with a print disability, so
this includes people who are blind or low vision, as
well as those with conditions like multiple sclerosis, stroke or
visual processing disorders, where people cannot hold or manipulate a
book so they find reading printed text or handling physical
books very challenging. The great thing about our library is
(07:34):
that we offer 70,000 titles in audio and Braille.
S1 (07:37):
Wow, that's a lot, isn't it?
S3 (07:38):
Very large, extensive collection. Um, we also have a service
where library members can actually suggest books. It's free as well,
I might add keyword free. Yep.
S1 (07:47):
Always helpful. We on this cost of living crisis we're in.
S3 (07:50):
That's right. Among that, we also run regular reading, writing
programs and personalized support services like the transcription service, where
people can actually get their preferred format, uh, transcribe. So
whether it's large print or audio or Braille, we have
a team who does that. Signing up is actually quite easy.
You can visit our website. There's a form you can
fill out, or you can simply call us on 1300 654 656,
(08:14):
and our friendly team will guide you through that process.
Another thing I'd like to add is that we also
work closely with public libraries across Australia to promote accessibility
and inclusion. We also have a public library liaison officer,
who is available to offer advice and support on making
local library services more inclusive for people who are blind
and have low vision. And we're always enthusiastic to partner
with and support libraries looking to expand their accessible offerings.
S1 (08:37):
We will the Vision Australia library team be involved in
any other parts of the 2026 festival?
S3 (08:42):
Yes, the Vision Australia library team will be supporting the
festival in the lead up by promoting it across our networks,
including our radio and library newsletters and also in communications
with our clients and our existing writing groups. We'll also
be highlighting our transcription services that I mentioned, that it's
a very valuable service, where library members can utilise that
to have 360 pages of print information transcribed in their
(09:03):
preferred format. So we're encouraging people to utilise the service
so that they can enter their work. To be a
shame that for anyone who has some piece of writing,
you know, scribble on a napkin that, uh, is just
hanging around but feels like it's trash at this point. Uh,
that trash could turn into some gold. So we encourage
anyone to submit in their trash. And let's turn the gold.
S1 (09:24):
Nice. Very good. Well, back to Scott. Now, aside from
the glory of winning, are there any other incentives or
rewards for people who take part in the Microfiction competition?
S2 (09:34):
Well, the glory is substantial, but there are certainly are
some other incentives. We have prizes in each category, so
across the three categories, third place is $150 book voucher.
Second place is a $200 book voucher and first place
is 250. So considering it's a 200 word story per word,
that's a prize that would I reckon would probably get
(09:55):
Stephen King off his couch. Prizes are usually with booksellers
here in the in the western suburbs. There's also the
chance to have your story published on our website. And
last year we also read the winning stories aloud, had
readings on um on Vision Australia Radio. Uh, we had
some of them published in one of our local papers,
and we're also investigating the possibility of publishing a book
(10:15):
of all the entries next year.
S1 (10:18):
Fantastic. And putting that program together last year, uh, with
Frances Keelan, uh, our presenter of Hear This, uh, was
absolutely a lot of fun. I got a lot of
enjoyment out of that and a real greater appreciation for microfiction,
because you could really tell what goes into it, and
incredibly challenging to set the scene and create a story
within such a small space of time. So looking forward
(10:38):
to being involved in that, as are the rest of
the team at Vision Australia. A couple of final questions.
This one's for both of you. We'll start with, I reckon,
V's perspective. What do you think participants gain from the experience?
S3 (10:50):
V are some words of advice. I would say from
my personal experience, don't be afraid to share your story.
About a decade ago actually entered in one of the
early incarnations of the writing festival, and as a resident
myself back then, I entered and placed as a runner up.
So great at the time, I had doubts about entering. But,
you know, self-doubt always creeps in. So for me, I
(11:11):
would just take inspiration from that. Helen Keller quote. Keep
your face towards the sunshine. Not, I mean, not literally,
because that's not good for your eyes and for those
who are not writers, even if you don't see yourself
as a writer, there's something incredibly powerful about just putting
pen to paper. So the worst that can happen is
you can write something quite heartfelt that it might inspire
by others. When you work in a library like myself
and Scott, you're constantly reminded about the words and stories
(11:34):
have real power and sharing them is just really empowering.
So I encourage those to feel like just to write
down your story and share it with the world.
S1 (11:44):
Brilliant response Scott.
S2 (11:45):
I absolutely agree with that. That's some fantastic advice. Just
about every creative person has a degree of self doubt. Yeah,
it's something to to try and minimize and and remember
that the stories you've got to tell are unique to you,
and we're really interested in reading them as well as that.
Writing is something that gets better with practice. So if
you've ever wanted to write a story, this is a
chance for you to hone your craft in a small
(12:07):
and manageable way. Our previous winners and people who've placed
have included numerous people who've never entered competitions before, so
this could be your chance.
S1 (12:16):
Fantastic. And before we wrap up, Scott, can you just
remind us a little bit, uh, one more time, a
quick recap of those key dates and let our listeners
know where they can find more information about the festival
as a whole.
S2 (12:27):
The competition opens on the 1st of November. The competition
will close on Monday, the 15th of December. Uh, and
we'll be announcing the, um, results in the festival next year,
which will be in March 2026. Uh, the opening night
for the festival will be the 19th of March next year,
and the festival will take place over the next four
days until the 22nd. The website and program will be
(12:49):
officially launched at the end of January 2026, but there
will be information up on our website about the Microfiction
competition over the next few months.
S1 (12:58):
Thank you so much. Last year, um, when we did
the pre promote of the festival, we talked about all
the reasons why people should visit Brimbank. Uh, why, you know,
it'd be a great place for industry. Look, Costco opened.
I think we did our job. Um, lots of people
coming into the area. Good news for everyone. Uh, and
a big thank you to V, who is having his
radio debut today. Did a very good job. If you've
(13:19):
got any encouraging words for V radio, uh, V and Scott,
thank you so much for joining us on Vision Australia
Radio today. We are absolutely pumped and looking forward to
next year's festival.
S2 (13:30):
Thanks so much, Jason. It's been.
S3 (13:32):
A pleasure.
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