2018 Anthology Book Launch
The conversation buzzed, the wine fizzed and glasses clinked in celebration. The attendees plucked from wooden platters spread out with delicious hummus, kielbasas, and dolmas. The writers stepped up to read their pieces on technology, food, and family and we were captivated for the whole night.
The book launch for POWER was welcoming and tight-knit, with new excited students joining our team. We want to thank everyone who came to celebrate this great achievement, your continuing support provides us with the opportunity to showcase the talent and unique writing of our students, hopefully for many more years to come.
Since the launch, we have been working hard on setting up this year’s anthology and we are almost ready for you to send in your best work. We discussed a variety of topics for the theme of this year’s anthology, and although they were all very interesting, we came to a decision and will have to put the other topics aside for another year.
Branching off from last year’s theme of power, we have chosen diversity as the theme for this year. Power and diversity are intimately tied and unbreakable, and we must acknowledge that, despite its empowerment, this bond often bears with it the weight of tension, discrimination and violence. We must all work together to overcome these difficulties and engage with our differences in peace and acceptance.
Each one of us has something new to say and we all pursue different goals. Our writing, decisions and voices are not identical, and diversity is what has informed and educated us for centuries. Diversity is vital to building our communities and navigating through the toughest hurdles that we encounter in our daily lives.
We have always had a diverse group of people working behind the scenes, and the diversity of the various writers and collaborators is reflected on the pages of each anthology we have published since this project has begun. It is through these many stories, poems and illustrations that we continue to prove that diversity unites us and enriches our experiences.
So, tell us how diversity has shaped your world, and how it has empowered you and connected you to your community. And don’t be afraid to divulge the moments where you have questioned your place, and where you have felt vulnerable and isolated because of your differences. We want to see the smiles and the scars as reality is a reflection of both.
The University of Sydney Student Anthology invites you to explore this theme and the purpose and passion it carries in your life. Share your poems, prose and illustrations with us and together we will show the community what diversity means to you.
By Mary Stanley
