What if the moments that derail us are also the ones that give us a story?

In this 3-hour writing workshop with local writer Rachael Mead, we will explore failure, misfortune and conflict not as problems to tidy away, but as the raw material of compelling writing. We’ll work with the experiences we’re often taught to minimise - false starts, wrong turns, heartbreaks, missed chances - and examine how they can become catalysts for voice, insight and narrative momentum.

Through guided exercises, we’ll re-examine these 'sliding door' experiences not as endings, but as fertile turning points - rich with tension, insight and narrative possibility.

No forced optimism, no neat resolutions - just honest writing that uses disruption as a springboard to exciting possibilities.

This adult writing workshop is for writers of any experience level.

Bio: Rachael Mead is a South Australian novelist, essayist and poet. She’s the author of the novels The Application of Pressure (Affirm Press 2020) and The Art of Breaking Ice (Affirm Press 2023) as well as four collections of poetry. She holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide and is a co-host of the Dog-Eared Readings literary events.

This event is part of the Adelaide Hills Council Winter Words Program.

Please note:
Events on Fire Danger Days

When a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, all Adelaide Hills Council Library branches will be closed, and all events and programs will be cancelled without notice.

When an Extreme 2 (75+) Fire Danger Rating is declared for the Mt Lofty Ranges, the Gumeracha Library will be closed and all events and programs will be cancelled without notice.

Events at all library branches may be subject to review on Fire Danger Days and may also be cancelled without notice.

Any monies paid will either be reimbursed or the event will be rescheduled for a later date.

Current fire danger ratings can be checked here: http://www.bom.gov.au/sa/forecasts/fire-danger-ratings.shtml

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