Winners Announced for OTL's Women of Letters Competition
We had an incredibly enthusiastic response to our Women of Letters competition, with reams of handwritten letters hitting our post box. Love, hate, sweat, insects, markets and passionate ambivalence all featured heavily. Fun to read, but tough to choose, we'd like to thank everyone who entered. Congratulations to the winners who all receive a double-pass to the Women of Letters event on Sat 12 May: Clare Bizley, Kylie Pritchard, Jade Appleton, Julie Smith and Carli Plitz. Their winning letters are below.
Dear Darwin,
You have given me so much, Darwin, I had to write to say thank you.
I was born here, left, came back, left again. Now suddenly I am here again with gorgeous husband, two kids, barky dog and a ridiculous mortgage in my dream elevated home with a big back yard, a pool, a mango tree and copious palm fronds to collect. In a street with people of many colours and all the camping spots we could need just down the highway.
You have taught me to be deadly – a budju, not a gammon. I love the markets, the sweat, Jessica Mauboy.
Mostly, though, I love that we love somewhere that neither my mother, not mother-in-law would ever want to call home.
Thank you, Darwin.
Yours sincerely,
Clare Bizley
Dear Darwin,
I hope this slips under the electronic radar. You’re so busy with new acquaintances like the Inpex Corporation and the US marines that you’re hardly seeing old friends anymore.
You have cooled down since we last spoke. I’m sincerely sorry to have hurt your feelings. But we’ve been friends for more than 15 years now and friends need to speak the truth.
You are spreading upwards in a most unattrative way, especially the CBD. I’ll concede I’m a bit old-fashioned with my love of low-rise and louvres. But you do need to take a good look at yourself. Surely we can agree on good architecture and open space in which to meet and play.
Love always,
Kylie Pritchard
Dear Darwin,
I hate you. I hate that every year I am growing less immune to the way your heat and humidity makes my skin crawl. That for half the year I am hiding from your touch. Then suddenly we are smiling and cartwheeling in the dry, together in love only to be in waiting for the spite to return.
But what I hate the most about you is that I cannot leave you. There will never be anywhere I love to hate as much as you, and in so many ways.
Forever yours,
Jade Appleton
Dear Darwin,
Darwin River Wait
Slowly moving toward a dark black shine, that takes you unawares. Try to turn away from terror. Darwin River Wait.
Slowly submerging with crocodile hiss, deep below on uneasy peace to struggle against the force of death can become a solitude bliss. Darwin River Wait.
A stillness troubled with a roar of water. Listening to the mutter of weary collective souls, forcing fate. Darwin River Wait.
Calling for child, hoping it’s not too late. Though swimming strong against a current of uncertainty. Welcome us river trees, in your strength of nature. Darwin River Wait
Keep us warm, huddling pup, as it seems in endless time.
Darwin River Wait.
Julie Smith
Dear Darwin,
I’ve been in you three months to the day.
I stepped off the plane and your heat and humidity hit me like a punch in the face. I wondered if I’d ever stop sweating. At that point I was a little concerned at what you had in store for me…
In addition to my sweatiness, I panicked about where I would get my skinny latte in the morning. Why were there no cute little wine bars just around the corner? Where was the comforting dinging of trams on Church Street? Where were the hipsters in their skinny jeans, thongs and summer scarves to laugh at? Why was a glass of wine always just a little bit tepid, even though it had just come straight out of the fridge?
I may have felt that I was missing out on a lot of things, but there were some special ‘extras’ that came into my life. Cockroaches. Cane toads in the spa. Small reptiles scurrying about with each step I took down the street. Garbage bins that smell as though they are filled with dead bodies. Ants. Spectacular roadkill.
But very soon, Darwin, I started to warm to you (if you’ll excuse the pun). For starters you are never cold. I will never see winter again as long as I live in you. Winter coats have gone to St Vinnies, and thongs have become my footwear of choice.
There are crocs! I mean, I’ve never actually seen one in the wild, but according to the NT news, they’re everywhere and at the forefront of all Darwinites’ minds. Really.
Your people are so friendly and engaging. This includes bank clerks, check-out chicks, public servants, and even school front office ladies (!).
You don’t have traffic jams. If I am two minutes late in the morning, I will arrive two minutes late to work – not 30 minutes because I have missed that weird break in traffic at approximately 8:46am.
Your markets are awesome. Forget the wanky macarons, sourdough and smelly over-priced cheeses; bring on the tropical blooms, kankang greens, jumbo bags of birds-eye chillis, fresh lime juice, and green papaya salad.
You are one of the most truly multicultural places I’ve ever lived in, but you don’t go on about it.
So as I sit here penning this letter, Darwin, the sun sets, filling the sky with a glorious shade of pink. As I sip my slightly-too-warm glass of pinot grigio, I think that even though it’s early days, maybe – and I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward – I love you.
Sincerley,
Carli Plitz
Off The Leash is proud as punch to help bring Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire and their event Women of Letters to Darwin town as part of the WordStorm Writers Festival in May.
Women of Letters is a two-lady literary salon borne out of Marieke and Michaela’s love of the written word and an attempt to reignite the lost art of the letter. Already a must-do for literary-minded ones down south, this is Women of Letters’ first foray to the Territory. Women of Letters brings together a panel of women who share their own musings in the form of a letter, then the audience gets to have a go too and put pen to paper.
The event will be held on Saturday 12 May at Christchurch in Darwin.
Tickets will be on sale in early April from the NT Writers Centre but Off The Leash has a handful of double passes up for grabs for some lucky readers.
To win, show off your letter writing prowess by crafting a 'Dear Darwin' letter. Tell Darwin how you feel about it, what you love about it, what you despise, how long you've known it, how long you intend to, and anything generally pressing you'd like to put across to the city of Darwin.
Pick up a copy of the April issue of Off The Leash to enter. You can’t email us or send an entry via Facebook. You must write your letter by hand in the section provided in the magazine. Just like the old days. We’re sounding very serious and school ma’am-like now.
You'll need to fork out for a stamp and envelope and pop it in the post. Or you can drop it in to us.
Post to:
Women of Letters competition, Off The Leash magazine, GPO Box 2325, Darwin 0800
Drop it to us at:
Off The Leash magazine, Frog Hollow Centre for the Arts, 56 McMinn Street, Darwin.
The most eloquent and well-penned letters (in our opinion) will win.
Entries close on 27 April and the winners will be announced here on 4 May.
For more information on the wonderful array of writers coming to town for WordStorm, visit their Facebook page.
