WELCOME TO SPILL THE BEANZ- your online writing community

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 Spill the Beanz member Helen Lyne was recently honoured as a finalist in the inaugural Hilarie Lindsay prize, awarded by the Society of Women Writers NSW. The theme of the competition was Social Justice, and she was awarded for her story The Depths of Ignorance. Prizes were awarded at a high tea held in Sydney’s Parliament House. 

Well done Helen!

Three members of Spill the Beanz fronted up at the monthly Open Mic on 24 July at Manly Library and read their pieces to an enthusiastic audience.  

Vivien Wilson, Jo McDonough and Laurie Wilson are seen above reading their stories and poems. For those members on the Northern Beaches this is a great opportunity to try out your work with a live audience.  

Next Open Mic is on Friday 21 August

     Our recent joint workshop with u3a (University of the 3rd Age) was an absolute joy! It was wonderful to connect with so many new writers alongside our beloved regular BeanZ. The room was buzzing, and our writers came up with absolutely fabulous responses to our latest ‘F’ Word challenge.

Some comments:

 "I  very  much enjoyed my morning. It was nice to meet the other members and hear samples of their writing. Networking with other writers often makes the task   of writing so much easier."

"Fun   challenges - non-threatening. Great organisation. An inspiring selection of   readers - good variety. Clear presentation. The story from the South African   contributor was a great way to start."      

  As part of National Volunteers Week, our very own Judy Elias has been presented with a certificate of appreciation for her tireless work with Spill the Beanz. The awards were presented by Dr Sophie Scamps MP at a special ceremony. Well done Judy! It is great to see such voluntary work recognised, and Spill the Beanz is always on the lookout for great helpers like Judy.

  We are delighted to share the success of Helen Lyne’s latest book launch! A mainstay of the BeanZ community since our second anthology, Helen officially debuted her second short story collection, Turnabouts, on Saturday, 18 April.

The event brought together a vibrant mix of the literary community to celebrate stories centred on life’s transformative moments.

Support Local Literature:

Titles: Turnabouts & Love, Disappointment and Other Joys of Life

Available at: Desire Books, Manly

Production: Proudly printed by BA Printing Brookvale

Congratulations, Helen, on another successful milestone!  

Northern Beaches activities in the NSW Seniors' Festival kicked off earlier this year with an Expo at the Dee Why RSL, where The Beanz had a strong presence, waving the flag and meeting lots of potential new members.

In the picture above, the current Beanz team is joined by co-founder Jane Cameron (third from left) and Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins (second from right).

 The results are in for the Society of Women Writers NSW workshop, and the winner is… 

Lynne Vertannes with her fantastic story, Not the Lego Building! 

Lynne was lightning-fast, getting her entry to us in record time. She’s already looking ahead, too, telling us: ‘The workshops at the State Library of NSW sound like a wonderful opportunity to polish my writing skills.’ We couldn't agree more!

She was presented with her prize after reading her story at Manly Library's Open Mic session on 27 February (picture above).

Read Lynne's winning story here.