Matthew Hogan
Young writers from the University of Canberra have seen their writing published for the first time in Blood and Flesh: FIRST 2015, which was launched last month at the Co-Op Bookshop on campus.
The 22nd edition of the literary journal was produced by a team of editing and writing students and published by the Faculty of Arts and Design, with submissions open to all students at the University of Canberra.
Authors read out their work to a packed bookstore of avid readers during the launch and plenty of copies of the publication were sold.
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Blood and Flesh: FIRST 2015 is now for sale in bookshops in Canberra. Photo: Michelle McAulay
Danielle Nohra, of the editorial committee and current Bachelor of Writing student, opened the event by reading her foreword from the publication.
"For the writers in this issue, FIRST is a place to gain exposure but also a chance to interact with the world of publishing," she said.
"It's a chance to bring their words to life. Lastly, but most importantly, for you, the readers, it is an opportunity to put a hold on the story that is your life and get lost in the stories of others."
Bachelor of Writing graduate and Bachelor of Arts and Design (Honours) student Matthew Kehoe energetically read his piece, Are We On, which was inspired by the juxtaposition of man-made structures and untouched nature in Canberra.
He told Monitor about how the editorial committee helped prepare his work for the page.
"With my piece a lot of the fine tuning was already done, it was the formatting that needed to be discussed," the Brisbane-born writer said.
"A lot of things like rhythm and appearance on the page needed to be done in a very particular manner."
Erin Eagan, who completed a Graduate Certificate in Professional Writing (Editing) this year, read out her reflection on life as a new mother, entitled Portrait of an evangelical mother, at the launch.
"It is about post-natal depression, and about women who feel the need to create this image of perfection because they don't want to know what is really going on," she offered.
"I had two friends who suffered from post-natal depression and they were really in my mind when I wrote the piece."
Second year Bachelor of Writing student Ashleigh Newcombe saw two of her pieces published in Flesh and Blood: FIRST, poem Perennial and short story I shoot birds.
She said the staff in the Faculty of Arts and Design has helped her hone her writing style and inspired her creativity.
"There are a lot of talented lecturers and tutors as the University employs professional editors to teach the editing course," she said.
"The depth of knowledge they have of the industry has been incredible and they are very willing to share that knowledge and spend time with you."
Cara Jeffery's deeply personal piece, I wish my mum had two broken legs, addressed mental health issues and drew a rapturous applause from the onlookers.
The Goulburn-based Bachelor of Secondary Education student said she jumped at the opportunity to expand her studies by taking a writing unit this year.
"I did a creative writing unit last semester and, as a non-creative writing student, I found the staff were really understanding of those of us who weren't usually creative writers; they very encouraging and full of tips," she said.
Blood and Flesh: FIRST 2015 retails for $12 and is available at the Co-Op Bookshop at the University of Canberra, as well as other bookshops including Dymocks Belconnen, Paperchain Bookstore, Dee's Comics, Beyond Q Bookshop and Gallery Twenty-Seven.
