In Conversation with Place will see participants from Yass Valley Writers, the Binalong Arts Group and other writers from around the region converge on Tootsie Fine Art & Design Gallery, 289 Comur Street, Yass on Sunday October 30, (12.30pm for 1pm until 3pm) to share their work.

“It will be a joyful occasion,” project coordinator Lizz Murphy said. “Writers from a number of towns will reunite to share poetry and short prose in a range of styles with the audience.”

The program will feature two award-winning Yass poets, Jane Baker and Gregory Piko.

Jane Baker provides key support to the writing community through her role as Coordinator of the Yass Valley Writers. She describes herself as “a poet of place and human kind.” Her most recent poetry collection The Galled Tree is based in the Yass Valley and celebrates the relationship between the two.

Gregory Piko writes haiku and free verse. His awards include the WB Yeats Poetry Prize and the New Zealand International Haiku Competition. He also received a Touchstone Award from the Haiku Foundation in the USA.

Lizz Murphy, internationally published contemporary poet and Robyn Sykes, Australian Champion Bush Poet are among the Binalong writers to perform.

“The presentation at Tootsie is one of two events bringing a very fruitful writing project to its conclusion,” Lizz said.

“Writers from Yass and Binalong, Cootamundra, Queanbeyan and Young along with friends from Canberra and the Blue Mountains took advantage of Poetry. Prose. Place workshops held during autumn and spring.

“We are hoping the wider community will join us at Tootsie’s for In Conversation with Place, where a variety of voices is guaranteed. New and published writers will share prose poetry, free verse, bush poetry, haiku and short stories.”

There is a brief shared mike section where anyone else can read or perform their work. Admission is an appropriate donation. All welcome.