Happy (belated) New Year CSFG! We have left all the highs and lows of 2024 behind us, and like a blank page the potential of this year is ready and waiting for us to put our stamp on it. This year is already off to a strong start, and a lot of planning is underway for what we have in store for our guild members.

Newsletter

As you can tell, we are reviving the CSFG newsletter as a way of sharing information and promoting events. We aim to publish monthly, so you can get a recap of member news and highlights and see what’s coming up!

Guild members can submit member news to be included in the newsletter by emailing it to [email protected], or directly messaging Fionn Macpherson on Discord. News can include upcoming launches or events, online or in person workshops, or other items which are worth highlighting. It’s always important to celebrate our successes.

Cancon 2025

This year, CSFG was among the 86 traders to score a table for Cancon 2025. We were able to chat to the public about the work CSFG does, and sold a slew of books. Notably, we completely sold out of Mnemo’s Memory by long-time CSFGer David Versace, and the 2023 CSFG anthology Body of Work! In total, this hard work brought in over a thousand dollars and several new members for the Guild, highlighting how important these outreach events are for raising funds and promoting the Guild and our writers. A huge shout out to our volunteers who helped man the table throughout the three days; this success wouldn’t have been possible without them!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1078078161218195487/1333710384435302430/IMG_2847.jpg?ex=6799e216&is=67989096&hm=551174299cb155aa138098aa87157015456d2a698951e098669b2157fb6706a4&         https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1078078161218195487/1333708370980376607/IMG_0128.jpg?ex=6799e036&is=67988eb6&hm=ceb9fae98a304930db70572940d5fe1ee2f0c2d56e48cd585ef5b2fca1de6b13&

NEVER SAY DIE – a 2025 CSFG Anthology Callout!

For as long as humans have told stories, we have challenged one question more than most: what does it mean to exist? In Never Say Die, a collection of Australian and New Zealand-based poetry and prose, we will explore life, death, and between through speculative fiction. Submissions for poetry and short fiction are open for AUS/NZ writers February 4, 2025, and close April 4, 2025. Inquiries can be emailed to Charis at [email protected]; submission guidelines will be available on the CSFG website February 1, 2025. Slated for publication in late 2025.

2025 CSFG Bookclub 

You asked, we answered: CSFG has a book club now! Enormous thanks to Victor for stepping up and making it happen! Each month, we’ll vote on what to read next, based on a theme. Japanese horror? 1950s alien stories? Time travelling protagonists? CSFG member backlog clearing? These themes and more may come up throughout the year…

Our theme for the inaugural round is recent(-ish) second-world fantasy, and the nominees are:

    • Witch King by Martha Wells (The Rising World #1, dark fantasy, 2023)
    • Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (The Saint of Steel #1, romantasy/fantasy romance, 2020)
    • The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez (standalone, literary fantasy, 2022)
    • The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach (The Endsong #1, science fantasy, 2022)

Voting runs until Friday, 6 February 2025, 4 PM via the CSFG Discord. Propaganda in support of your favourites is strongly encouraged!

Monthly Meetings 

Our monthly meeting is the third Wednesday of the month (see below for more details!) Our topic this month is how to critique and workshop short stories. Local cryptid and CSFG president C.Z. Tacks attended Clarion West (CW) last year. As those of you who’ve been to a critique group recently will know, they brought back some new methods of sharing feedback! Tacks and Americo also recently attended a CW session on their workshop ethos and methods, and now they’re sharing what they’ve learned. We’ll discuss how to balance positivity and encouragement with honest feedback, and go over the pros and cons of a few different models. For a sneak preview, you can check out the CW Workshop Methods resources here.

February Events

Saturday 1st – Scribbles and Nibbles: 10am, National Library of Australia (in-person)

Wednesday 5th – Short Story Critique Group: 7:30pm (online)

Wednesday 12th – Novel Critique Group: 7:30-9:30pm (hybrid – in-person location TBC)

Saturday 15th – Scribbles and Nibbles: 10am, Pulp Book Cafe (in-person)

Wednesday 19th – Monthly Member’s Meeting: 7:00-9:00pm, Burns Club Kambah (hybrid)

Wednesday 26th – Novel Vague: 7:30pm (online)

Friday 28th – Movie Night: 8pm (online)

For information about any of these events or activities, reach out to us at [email protected] or message a committee member on Discord.

Note: hybrid meetings occur via Zoom and/or Discord; specifics will be shared through csfg.groups.io and the CSFG Discord server.

 

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