Inside The Record Store, brightly colored boxes and shapes were piled on the stage, creating an interesting atmosphere.The stage also had a white backdrop, giving the performances an open mic feel. However, the rest of the room was brightly lit with fluorescent light, emphasizing every possible distraction in the room and taking focus away from the performance.

Both remarkable writers with insightful and humorous stories to tell, Patrick Lenton and Emma Jones were first to read their work. The crowd laughed freely to Lenton’s imaginative story and animated performance. Jones’ poignant story about her sexual awakening was raw and honest. To complete this slice of Lit Hop, enigmatic performance poet Beige Brown appeared, gloriously swathed in her namesake color to perform with her classically fierce energy. She shook off each magnificent layer of brown to reveal the little person beneath.

Moving on to the next part of the event, the group, mildly confused, followed the organisers into Garema Place with a charmed optimism where they were stopped by a small woman reciting a poem. The woman then asked each member of the audience to talk to someone they didn’t know and to tell them a story using only their bodies. For some it was a fun, enriching experience; for others, it may have been quite uncomfortable.

When the party finally arrived at Lonsdale St Roasters, the air was bitingly cold and the group anxious to begin. Soon the little outdoor porch was warm with laughter and shouting as unique literary games started to unfold. A panel of noteworthy writers, led by a loud comedic host, launched into raucous rounds of Wanker Bingo, in which panel members attempted to gain “pretentiousness points’” by using excessively pretentious language. This was followed by a game of charades. By the second round, the audience had won. Full of good humour and (free) hot food, the party was back on the road for the last time.

The last stop was The Hamlet, a tiny concrete box which the large group unfortunately struggled to fit into. The panellists and performers were thrown together in a potluck of other-worldly versions of Twister, Scrabble, and Erotic Memorisation. The eccentric host for this leg of the event (Raphael Kabo) effectively incorporated the literary theme, using a fake Russian accent to entertain the crowd and, most of all, annoy everyone to the point of exhaustion.

Lit Hop was a resounding success, fuelled by the young and restless of Canberra’s literary past, present and future.

– by Kira Omernik

(Photo credit: Yasmin Masri)

Kira is a coastal export living in Canberra. She writes everything from critical essays to purple poetry and spends most of her time laughing. She currently writes articles for university of Canberra’s Curiuex magazine, as well as writing and singing songs to her dog Hazard. Kira explores all the colourful facets of being in your twenties and faking it till you make it through her blog, articles and notes stuck on her friends walls. You can find her blog here: http://wurdss.weebly.com/1/post/2014/09/the-cheshire-trees.html

The Record Store was transformed into an ambient chillout space with a selection of old couches facing each other in a circle. Pink and purple lights reflected onto a large projector screen where the stage had previously sat. The space provided a great canvas for this type of event, the low lighting in the room and the artistic surrounds creating an easy, intimate feel.

People straggled in and sat down on the couches where they were greeted with a casual “How you going?” and warm smile from Sampson. The air was filled with little sparks of nervousness and anticipation. How do I connect songs to literature? Is sharing personal stories my thing? Will this be enjoyable?

Sampson was effective in engaging everybody and encouraged people to express themselves freely when discussing their musical tastes. The group consisted of young creative types, with most participants having a similar taste in music. This created a relaxed and coincidentally banjo-themed playlist!

Sampson got the ball rolling with an Oh Mercy classic and with a retelling of a school-aged anecdote about Shakespeare. The group slowly unravelled from their nervous coils and fell into a relaxed, comfortable mood.

Any remaining anxieties were officially dispelled when one participant gave a language warning for their upcoming tune, using the phrase “curse words”, to which another replied with a Harry Potter reference.

It was an interesting idea – a group of strangers coming together to share tea, music and literary experiences. Sampson explained that she had spent one late night spontaneously doing this with friends, inspiring her to produce this event. She also mentioned her plans to start a new trend of listening parties around Canberra, saying that she would like to continue this event monthly. This suggestion was met by some excited “Can I give you my email?” responses as people left.

The tone of Listen In was dependable and nice and reflected the participants’ tastes. Its success was not dictated by the event format or the effort that went into planning it. It proved how variable an experience can be depending on its contributors. Listen In matched its environment and target audience well and was enjoyed by all.

– by Kira Omernik

(Photo credit: Yasmin Masri)

Kira is a coastal export living in Canberra. She writes everything from critical essays to purple poetry and spends most of her time laughing. She currently writes articles for university of Canberra’s Curiuex magazine, as well as writing and singing songs to her dog Hazard. Kira explores all the colourful facets of being in your twenties and faking it till you make it through her blog, articles and notes stuck on her friends walls. You can find her blog here: http://wurdss.weebly.com/1/post/2014/09/the-cheshire-trees.html

Proceedings took place at ring of conference tables decorated with photos and sprigs of eucalyptus. Dr Jeanine Leane opened with an acknowledgement of the Ngunnawal people –the traditional custodians of the land on which the workshop took place, her Wiradjuri ancestors and the Indigenous Australians present in the audience. Introductions were followed by beautiful ceremony led by Kerry Reed-Gilbert. Participants were invited to close their eyes and have their face daubed with ochre by Us Mob while gentle music played in the background. This then became the first writing prompt of the day, with participants asked to reflect on their experience. Many were clearly moved and the work shared afterwards held common themes of belonging and spirituality.

Sharing such raw work can be intimidating for even the most experienced writer and several participants who shared their work expressed doubts regarding the quality. The next writing exercise was designed to help overcome that. A single word served as a prompt for three minutes of continuous writing. The results touched on issues of identity, such as personal experiences of what it is like to be a new migrant to Australia.

With the workshop almost half over already (time flies when you’re having fun), there was a quick break for tea, coffee and some delicious lemon myrtle damper that formed part of the morning tea. Then it was back into the writing exercises. Participants were split into two groups, with one group remaining in the conference room while the other relocated to the foyer. Each participant was given a list of half-a-dozen words that were particularly meaningful to Us Mob and asked to write something using those words. More time spent unpacking how those words were meaningful to Us Mob would have made for a more rewarding experience.

The final writing exercise involved using photographs as prompts, with the group in the foyer examining the photos AIATSIS had on display and the group in the conference room utilising the photos provided by Kerry Reed-Gilbert.

After sharing the results, the groups reunited and the workshop was wrapped up with readings from the Us Mob Writers.

The prompt-based approach wasn’t suited to all writers, but the workshop remained a valuable experience for forging connections and grappling with cultural heritage, making Where the Deadly Words Are a highlight of the Noted Festival.

– by Elizabeth Fitzgerald

(Photo credit: Yasmin Masri)

Elizabeth Fitzgerald is a freelance editor and owner of Earl Grey Editing. She is a committee member of the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild and served as Secretary in 2011 and 2012. She also previously ran their novel critiquing circle. Her short stories have been published in Burley, Issue #2and the CSFG anthology Next, and she has had poetry published in FIRST in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Her weaknesses are books, loose-leaf tea and silly dogs. She tweets @elizabeth_fitz