Want to learn how to become an accomplished Food and Wine writer? If you have an appetite for food writing, here’s a special opportunity to get an exclusive taste of Tasting Australia, experiencing this prestigious international festival as part of the media corps.
At Tasting Australia 2012, journalist/editor David Sly and food writing educator Professor Barbara Santich will be serving up a banquet of knowledge and experience in an intensive short course on Food and Wine Writing – a five-day program that will give participants media access to festival events, contact opportunities with leading festival participants and provide a genuine taste of what it’s like to work in food media.
It’s a flexible and personalised short course designed for anyone who finds food media fascinating – from aspiring food journalists and critics, to food obsessives keen to learn and prospective food bloggers.
Daily tuition sessions will cover essential aspects of food and wine journalism, from reinforcing the basics of vocabulary and journalistic style, story and narrative structure, developing news sense, editing techniques and skills in three distinct disciplines of writing – reportage, opinion and review.
Participants will put these skills into practice by attending Tasting Australia events and having their reports and reviews published in The Digest, the official online bulletin of Tasting Australia that will garner attention from international food media. This interactive blog, linked to the Tasting Australia website, will encourage communication with leading festival participants to offer advice for the budding writers – in addition to daily feedback sessions for writers, interview opportunities and mingling with the press corps to obtain unique knowledge and experience.
The course cost of $440 (including GST) will include:
• 11 hours of tuition, comprising lectures and guest speakers, writing workshops and editing coaching sessions, from Thursday April 26 to Monday April 30, 2012
• Invitation to the official Tasting Australia launch at Carrick Hill, April 26, 2012
• VIP Press access to sessions of Tasting Australia events, including Battle San Remo.
• Access to the Tasting Australia Media Centre in the Intercontinental Hotel
• Opportunities to interview Tasting Australia Celebrity Guests (depending on availability)
• Writing advice from industry professionals attending Tasting Australia
• Opportunities to have pieces published in Taste & Travel magazine (selected writings only)
• Tasting Australia complimentary bag, including a copy of essential food book Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob, and copies of several leading food, wine and travel magazines
• An exclusive Resources for Food Writers information booklet
• A certificate recognising course participation and accomplishments, presented at a cocktail ceremony in the Tasting Australia Media Centre
Participants will be expected to bring their own portable electronic writing device (laptop, iPad, tablet, etc) for the course duration. This will be required for writing and submitting a series of short articles that will be published online in The Digest 2012 during Tasting Australia.
Register your interest by emailing David Sly at slywords@bigpond.net.au
Please include your contact details, your interests and a brief description of what you'd like to get from this course. In addition, please indicate your preferred sessions for Friday 27 April. You should choose two activities, morning and afternoon, from the following:
· L-Plates classes: list first and second preferences for each time slot (http://www.tasting-australia.com.au/2012-event/l-plates-learn-from-the-masters)
· Battle of the Chefs heats (choose morning OR afternoon only)
* This course will be subject to minimum numbers attending. Confirmation of the course will be announced to participants before or no later than March 26 – after which date all money paid will be returned in full if event cancellation does occur.
For all bookings, payment and details, contact David Sly by email at slywords@bigpond.net.au or phone 0417 177 480.
