FAWQ Anthology Launch – Missed the road by this much!
Saturday was a big day with the launch of FAWQ ‘s anthology, ‘Tales from our Veranda’.
To be honest I did wonder if we were even going to make the presentation on time. We don’t know Brisbane city very well, no sorry, I’ll rephrase that, we do not know Brisbane city at all. Mind you we were making amazing progress, until we made our first mistake and as Maxwell Smart says, “missed it by that much!” The road into the Cultural Centre that is! From then on it was one way streets leading us off into the nether regions of the city! There was a bonus, and I’m trying to turn my near panic attack at possibly being late into a positive, we were lucky enough to cross the river 6 times.
By the time we approached and drove over the Story Bridge I began to feel hysterical laughter, from panic rising, especially when I thought about that movie ‘National Lampoon’s European Vacation’ when the Griswold family get stuck on the roundabout in the middle of London, passing Big Ben and parliament over and over and over, well into the night! I did begin to think we might be zig – zagging across the river until nightfall! Long story short, yes, we made it back, with yet another river crossing and me yelling – now – go left – now. We finally found a car park, then looked at one another and burst out laughing. All we had to do now was find the Red Box! And we did. Whew!
An enthusiastic gathering collected in The Red Box (overlooking the river) at the State Library to launch the most delightful Anthology. This book has something for everyone and as I listened to some of the contributors read their work I was again reminded that there are so many talented and caring people around us.
Whether it’s an amusing poem about cigarette smoking or the despair of the 2011 floods, a memoir, or a poignant poem about ones mother, the FAWQ Anthology ‘Tales from our Verandah’ has all this and more . This book is a culmination of so many different life experiences. As always Joanna Barrett FAWQ’s President says it all so beautifully. “What a diverse group we are! We come from different walks of life, we’re of varying ages and lifestyles, and we’re all brought together by our passion for the written word. In the process we create a camaraderie that enriches the lives of each one of us. Tales from our Veranda is one of the many ways in which our branch of FAW show our love and commitment to the written word. The anthology contains short stories, poems and articles by members. I must mention the delightful Queensland house on the cover is an old homestead from the Boonah area, painted by Janice Deane.” Copies can be purchased from the Festival or you can contact FAWQ via email fawqwrite@gmail.com
I loved the Cultural Centre, the Library, the Art Gallery and the Museum. After purchasing our copies of ‘Tales from our Verandah’ we hurried down stairs to have a look around and got so caught up in everything that we ended up not returning but had to dash back to the car and head home to vote.
Finally, I would like to offer my congratulations to all the ‘Tales from our Verandah’ contributors. I am very proud to be included in this delightful book. I’ve already begun reading the stories and poems – and I love it.
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