The Tarralla Writers' Group Inc. commenced meeting in 2004. Its
aims were to encourage creative writing in the community and to
continue publication of the Tarralla literary anthology,
which had started two years earlier. After running a successful
Short Story and Poetry Competition, the group produced Tarralla
2004. The anthology has already established a reputation for
the high standard of its content and production.
The 2002 and 2003 editions of Tarralla were produced
by Professional Writing and Editing students at Swinburne. The
original editors wanted the publication to reflect their locality.
Old maps and surviving swamp gums showed that the Croydon campus
stood on a former wetland. A seasonal creek flowed nearby, known
to the Wurrundjeri as 'Tarralla'-'to walk fast'. European settlers
piped it underground and called it the Croydon Main Drain. Seeing
the creek as a place of hidden possibilities waiting to be retrieved
by the imagination, the editors named the anthology in its honour.
Later that year, they were pleased to learn that the City of
Maroondah was recreating the wetlands, and that the ancient name
'Tarralla' would be restored. The area now provides a haven for
birdlife. The Tarralla Creek has an Artists' Trail and a walking/cycling
track, which connects with the Dandenong Creek Trail. The Tarralla
Writers' Group Inc. meets locally, and members continue to find
inspiration in the environment.
About the Editors
Gil Bosaid's short
stories have been published in Woorilla, The Aussie Post,
Incite, Inquell and Tarralla. With a background
in graphic design, she is interested in book design and desktop
publishing. Recently, she has been a member of the writing and
editing team for several publications for the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Margaret Butcher completed
the Professional Writing & Editing course at Swinburne. She writes
short stories and is currently working on a novel with a medieval
theme.
Janet Down runs a
home-based editing business, Inky Owl. She studies theology, loves
reading novels, and occasionally finds time for reading, writing
and listening to poetry. A poem was published in Studio.
Elizabeth Egan has a
passion for researching and writing her family history and enjoys
putting that knowledge into historical fiction.
Karen Phillips was one
of the founding editors of Tarralla. Her poems and short
stories have appeared in Page Seventeen, Poam, The Mozzie, Inkshed,
Woorilla and MECR. Karen is co-author of Tracks to Trails:
A History of Mt Evelyn. Her first poetry collection, Past
the Barrier, was published by Ginninderra Press in 2008.
