Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) is a not-for-profit incorporated association and the peak body for writing in Queensland. It was established in 1990 by an independent steering committee led by Craig Munro as Chair. From years of planning and lobbying, their goal was to set up an organisation that provides support and specialised services to the writing community of Queensland.
At the time, David Malouf, Thea Astley, Bruce Dawe, Geoffrey Dutton, Michael Noonan, Jill Shearer and Oodgeroo Noonuccal were invited to become patrons of the organisation, in honour of their writing achievements and their individual contributions to the diversity of Queensland voices in literature.
The centre officially open its doors on 14 January 1991 with 120 registered members, and was initially driven by CEO Robyn Sheahan-Bright, one full time and one part time staff, and a team of dedicated volunteers. As more funding was secured, more projects were devised, and core activities grew, and more full time staff members were recruited. In the same year, the steering committee was also transformed into an elected Management Committee..
In those early years, QWC originally operated out of William Street, before relocating to Wickham Terrace in Brisbane’s inner-city suburb of Spring Hill. Ongoing troubles in securing a stable venue occurred in the early years, and it wasn’t until the late 1990s that QWC found a secure home within Brisbane’s iconic Metro Arts building.
Located on Level 2, QWC was a major tenant of Metro Arts for many years. Originally built in 1879, Metro Arts had become a community arts hub in the 1970s, in which QWC was placed alongside a vibrant basement café, theatre, art gallery, artist studios and other arts and cultural organisations.
Since the late 1990s, QWC has gone from strength to strength. The Australia Council of the Arts and Arts Queensland have funded the centre from its inception, and with this support, QWC has worked to establish a progressive business model that enables QWC to deliver critical services throught Queensland and Australia.
In 2002, QWC bought the rights to The Australian Writers Marketplace. Available as both a print book or online subcription, The Australian Writer's Marketplace is the national guide to Australia's writing and publishing industry.
Currently, the organisation is led by CEO Kate Eltham, who was appointed in 2006 following Dr Martin Buzzacott. Martin drove the direction of QWC for approximately 15 months and prior to his leadership, Hilary Beaton led the organisation for seven years and was instrumental in the move to Metro Arts. Lastly, as the original founding Co-ordinator Robyn Sheahan-Bright helped incubate the organisation through its first six years and helped set the foundation for what QWC achieves today.
Celebrating 20 years in 2010, QWC has become one of Australia's leading writing organisations. In recent years, it has launched a number of online writing programs through its online learning centre, and also leads a writing and reading hub for Queensland on level 2 of the State Library of Queensland.
As a strategic tenant of the State Library of Queensland, QWC will collaborate on a state-wide initiative in 2010, called A State of Writing and Queensland Writers Week. Alongside QWC, Queensland Poetry Festival, Book Links (Qld) and Children’s Book Council of Australia (Qld) are also housed within the library with the intention for future collaborative opportunities.
QWC is also behind the launch the Australian branch of the Institute for the Future of the Book, or if: book Australia. if: book Australia will act as a think-tank to promote new forms of digital publishing and explore ways to boost connections between writers and audiences. This is a new national centre of excellence for digital literature and is only the third centre of excellence of its kind for digital literature established in the world, after New York and London.