Kia Orana, Nihow, Bula, Kaselilia,
Namaste, Kona Mauri, Hello, Yokwe,
Omo Yoran, Fakaalofa Atu,
Noaia, You Orait No Moa?
Malo E Lelei and Talofa.
GREETINGS IN MANY VOICES FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC’S
WRITING FORUM
Introduction
What is the PWF?
The Pacific Writing Forum was established in 1997 as a unit within the department of Literature and Language, now the School of Language, Arts and Media at USP’s Laucala campus in Suva, Fiji. USP played a seminal role in the genesis, encouragement and development of Pacific Literature in the 1970s and 1980s when many of the writers were staff at the Suva campus. The PWF is envisaged as a means by which USP can continue to enhance its rightful leadership role in the field.
What we do…..
The PWF promotes, encourages and publishes writing and research by Pacific people on Pacific literature and languages, Pacific orature and story-telling, Pacific children’s literature and Pacific journalism. The PWF promotes both Anglophone and Francophone Pacific Writing and writing in Pacific vernaculars. We collaborate with other sections of the USP such as the DFL Centres in the region, the Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture in areas of mutual interest and benefit. We host writers in residence and visiting scholars and researchers, we conduct writing workshops, seminars and conferences and we hold writing competitions and readings by writers in popular venues around town.
The four main areas of PWF work are:
1. Publications
2. Mentoring of writers and artists
3. Writers/Artists Residencies
4. Creative Arts Alliances and Networking
Our Logo
Our logo represents the holistic ethos and aspirations of the PWF. It features a conch shell, that is a symbol if Oceanic communication and orality, floating on Pacific Ocean waves. From its mouth issue pages of print, indicative of literacy and the age of computer. In the background is the rising sun, symbolising the dawn of the Pacific Century and new waves of Pacific writing.
How to Contact Us
Ph: (679) 3232214 Fax: (679) 3231500
Email:
Postal: The Pacific Writing Forum
School of Language, Arts and Media
Faculty of Arts and Law
The University of the South Pacific
Suva
Fiji
Publishing
Publishing Criteria
PWF published primarily new creative writing from the Pacific. In the past this has included individual works as well as anthologies and journals. PWF is moving towards securing editing and manuscript preparation services for the various submissions received. PWF is no longer maintaining any preferential criteria based on genre, instead all submissions will be assessed on merits as literary works of relevance to the Pacific. PWF will be encouraging more collected/anthologised works on an annual basis to provide writers of limited number of pieces from the Pacific an opportunity for publication. Editors have been approached for a second volume of New Writing from Oceania, and for Life Stories: memoir and remembering anthology.
Royalties and Payments
At present PWF does not provide royalties or payments for writers. While the books are a source of funding for future publications, PWF wants to work on the policy that recognition must be given to providing writers remuneration for their work. A suitable formula for royalties and payments will be worked out in accordance with international standards.
Marketing/Book Selling Strategies
PWF depends on the USP Book Centre for most of its marketing and book-selling needs. The Book Centre provides separate links to PWF on their website. PWF is also looking at book-selling options with local companies, particularly for the tourist and inbound/outbound traveler markets.
Writing Networks
1- Pacific Network
PWF is committed to working with the 12 member countries of USP as the first level of their network of writer alliances. This definition of the Pacific is in line with current teaching outlines of the region as ‘Pacific Literature’. In the first instance PWF has a strong tradition of working with USP (Fiji) based arts, culture, publishing and marketing bodies like the Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture, the Niu Waves Writers Collective, Institute of Pacific Studies, Fiji Museum, USP Library and the Book Centre.
PWF has embarked on writing programs utilising interested teachers in the various regional areas of Fiji. The aim is to provide mentoring support, particularly to teachers, but also to community groups to ensure visibility of writing and literature among the people. Another initiative is the Life Stories/Biographies writing project currently being assessed for its viability among senior citizens, to ensure their stories of Fiji, is recorded for posterity. Both these projects are expected to run through to 2007. An assessment of their viability will be made and provided for our regional alliances to pursue in the member countries.
PWF has working links with Samoa, Solomons, Kiritbati, and Tonga and the activities of institution based or national writing groups and is pursuing ways of formalising these links and expanding them to the other USP regional member countries.
2- Asia and Pacific Network
The Pacific Writing Forum has been invited to a number of alliances with key players in the writing and publishing scene in the greater Asia Pacific region through the Asia and Pacific Writers Network (APWN). PWF was represented at the annual conference in Melbourne in 2005 and presented a resolution which was accepted to place the USP regional area as an acknowledged separate area of literature and creative arts. APWN adopted the following as part of its resolutions that are of relevance to PWF and USP:
1. That APWN recognizes the Pacific as a separate region to Asia, and will work to include more writers from the Pacific in the network to ensure that there is an equal partnership between Asia and the Pacific. That the Pacific region be defined as: a) the University of the South Pacific region: Fiji; Cook Islands; Kiribati; Marshall Islands; Nauru; Niue; Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tokelau; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu. b) Australia; New Zealand; PNG c) Hawaii and US Trust Territories and Easter Is etc
2. That APWN will work in partnership with the Pacific Writing Forum, of the University of South Pacific to develop access and participation for writers from these areas.
3. That the writing/market/publishing limitations of the USP Pacific regional literature area have special recognition and that APWN will work to provide options in these areas, for new and established writers and for publishing, through residencies, conference/writers festival placement and other activities.
4. That APWN exert efforts to include writers from other countries in the regions, particularly marginalized writers, such as women, indigenous writers and those working within oral and other literary traditions;
International Network
Further networks and strategic alliances with USA and Hawaii, Europe, Africa, Caribbean, Middle East, India, China and Japan are possible by writers from the USP Pacific region being given residency and traveling opportunities to writing festivals in these areas.
Writer in Residence Program
The PWF writer in residence program has over the years attracted a veritable who’s who of writers/artists from the region. This has been a very productive program for the writers as is evident in from the fact that each of the writers has subsequently produced works from their stay at PWF. They have also provided important mentoring roles for young writers from the Pacific as well as contributing to teaching/seminars within the department of literature and language. This program is currently limited due to funds.