westside publications

WHAT IS WESTSIDE PUBLICATIONS?

Westside is a literary program at BYDS devoted to sourcing and supporting new writers from Western Sydney.

Michael Mohammed Ahmad initiated and ran Westside Publications as Chief Editor and Coordinator from June 2005 to February 2013: Mohammed's contact is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

BYDS Director, Tim Carroll, currently coordinates Westside. Tim's contact is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

PUBLICATIONS

Westside Publications produced a series of anthologies annually that showcased work of emerging and established writers from Western Sydney. These anthologies had a special focus on writing about Western Sydney, one of Australia's most culturally and linguistically diverse regions. You can read all our Westside anthologies online as E-Readers.

LITERARY VIDEOS

Westside literary videos are collected short stories and poems edited and animated in a video format that can be viewed online in a new web series. Westside Literary Videos recognise the strong literary value in stories from Western Sydney and stories about Western Sydney. Westside Literary Videos Vol. 1: Coming to Voice is the first in the series, and showcases the stories of students from Sir Joseph Banks High School.

EVENTS

Westside Publications produced annual literary events that recognised the vibrant literary community of Western Sydney. These events have included book launches, readings, forums and seminarsl.  


Recent literary events include:

• Moving People: A night of performing writing about the people who come and go from Western Sydney.
• Launch into Deep Suburbia: The official launch of Westside Jr. Vol. 3: Deep Suburbia, with a night of readings, projections and special guest speakers.
• Inside The Westside Writers' Group: A night of readings by the Westside Writers' Group and live critical feedback by Professor Ivor Indyk and Alexis Wright

Me and My Place is a unit of work, written specifically to meet the outcomes of the Stage 4 NSW Syllabus. It encourages students to write about themselves and the world they live in by studying the biographical narratives of people living in Western Sydney. The core text for this unit is the Westside Publication, Three Novelettes; the collective biography of three girls, all under 13, living in Western Sydney. The Three Novelettes E-Reader is a free download available on our website.  To access the teaching resources click HERE.