We’re not just any old writing group – we are a community of emerging, published and award winning writers who encourage each other to remain focussed, feel supported, keep learning, and above all inspired to write.

We’re about supporting while creating.

It all started with two sentences: “Want to join my club? We have a membership of two.”

Peninsula Writers’ Club was formed in 2015 when, during a chance meeting between copywriter and children’s author Andrea Rowe and food writer Nikki Fisher, they shared how they were tired of commuting from the Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne for writing workshops and speaking events. The two accidental Founders fast-tracked the “If we build it, they will come” model, and declared the first Peninsula Writers’ Club open over a dinner party style affair in local restaurant Bistro Elba.

We may come from different writing genres and life journeys, but we are all on the same page when it comes to a passion for writing.

Everyone who has stepped across the welcome mat of the Peninsula Writers’ Club has come back for more.

We’re thoroughly local scribes, offering supportive vibes.

Encouragement + support = community

Writers understand what other writers are going through. We create these characters – we love them, hate them and doubt them. We create their voices, their dialogue with others, their landscapes and their life.

That’s one big responsibility. Then there’s the creating, editing, submitting and all the nail biting that comes from trying to publish your work – it’s a journey less lonely if it’s in company.

Getting together with like minded folks means they can pull you up by your bootstraps, wipe your worried brow, despair with you, celebrate with you, motivate and listen with practical advice and contemporary writing experience.

And you don’t need to travel beyond the Mornington Peninsula to find the company. We’re all right here, under your writing nose.

Incorporated Status and inclusivity values

Peninsula Writers Club became an incorporated not-for-profit organisation in 2019. We ensure our gathering spaces are accessible venues for guests of all abilities, we accept companion cards for workshops and writing days, and provide a safe and respectful environment for all who join us. We value acceptance,  we don’t tolerate stigmatism and we welcome BIPOC, LGBTQI+ writers, people with sensory, cognitive, acquired, intellectual and physical disabilities, and writers and guests from multicultural and Indigenous communities.

Photos are taken at all of our events and used to promote our activities with the wider community via social media, our website and electronic communication. Anyone who does not wish for their photo to be taken and/or used for these purposes is to inform a member of the Committee or the host of the event upon arrival.

Auspices / Governance

We are a volunteer committee overseeing planning, program delivery, membership management and communications. We operate under our Rules of Incorporation, meet regularly throughout the year and hold an Annual General Meeting in November each year.

President – Muriel Cooper   Vice President – Brien Cole

Secretary – Karen Young   Treasurer – Ann Roberts

General Committee – Kim Robyn Smith, Anna Papij, Sue Croft

We are open to working in partnership with regional initiatives with the Mornington Peninsula Shire, Frankston City and Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Library Services and our regional bookstores.

Our Patron

Thanks to our book sellers:-

Where would a writer be without their bookshops? We are thankful to our local book sellers for their ongoing support of local writers and their links to authors visiting the Mornington Peninsula and surrounding areas:

The Peninsula Writers Club are an enterprising lot, with plans to keep sharing opportunities with the community. If you have an idea for a partnership or collaboration, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill in the form below and we will respond as soon as we can.

Committed to community

We share the stories of the Peninsula, then and now.

Our members are proud supporters of numerous local events and initiatives such as:

Connect with us at our next event