Bloom is the 35th collection from the prestigious Creative Writing program at the University of Technology Sydney.
2021: Bloom
Whether you’re an emerging writer yourself, curious about the future of Australian writing, or just in the mood for some ripping yarns – you’re going to love Bloom.
Zoe Norton Lodge
Daring to traverse fiction, creative non-fiction, essay and poetry, Bloom collates 37 unique contributions that celebrate life in the wake of tumult, championing creative voices that continue to flower despite the downpour of yesteryear. As readers, we begin Bloom as seedlings, adapting to life atop a rickety first-floor balcony and conclude as old friends, gently uprooting senescent memories to make room for life’s cycle to start anew.
The anthology captures a myriad of experiences within its pages, a mosaic of the Australian creative landscape and the writers who are finding their place within it. Bloom promises the macabre and the extraordinary, yet never once underestimates the value of mundanity, of simply learning to be, and be well.
This year’s foreword is composed by celebrated author and television presenter Zoe Norton Lodge, UTS alumna (MA Creative Writing, 2011) and editor for the anthology’s 2010 edition.
A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in – what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.
Victor Hugo
Bloom is published by XOUM, an imprint of Brio Books. The publishers have worked alongside the UTS Student Editorial Committee who have conceptualised, edited, designed, and nurtured the anthology in its 35th year. Together they are proud to present the best of the unbounded talent born from the UTS Creative Writing program.
The UTS Student Editorial Committee for 2021 consists of Kismet Fawcett, Max Wild, Morna Seres, Neysha Santos, Sarah Furlan and Talia Horwitz.
Contributors
Contributors to Bloom include Jennifer Worgan, Orin Clark, Susan Hurley, Laurie Geddes, Richard Pitt, Claire Matthews, Carly Bertuccio, Kerri Lee, Bill Eftimoski, Eleanor Campbell, Jocelyn Prasad, Chloe Michele, Joshua Camilleri, Sophie Katherine Serafim, Morna Seres, Angus Thompson, Mike Dolan, Hugh McGonagle, Peter Vaughan-Reid, Lily Cameron, Charle Malycon, Talia Horwitz, Erin Ewen, Elana Chandran, Judi Morison, Kate Macdessi, Lucy McCarthy, Hugh Tranter, Emily Gibbs, Andrea Kovacic, Ch’aska Cuba de Reed, Neysha Santos and Arielle Bodenstein.
Featured contributors
Chloe Michele
Chloe Michele writes fiction, poetry and essays. She co-edited and contributed to the 2019 UTS Writers Anthology, Infinite Threads, and her work has been published in New Australian Fiction, Rabbit Poetry and the UTS Journal NEW: Emerging Scholars in Australian Indigenous Studies.
She is currently studying a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at UTS.
Find ‘Fizz’ in Bloom.
Sophie Katherine Serafim
In primary school, Sophie Katherine Serafim was praised for her outstanding communication skills. Encouraged by this positive feedback, she is now undergoing a Bachelor of Communications (Creative Writing) and a Bachelor of Arts International Studies (Japanese). Her work has been featured in the UTS Anthology 2020 and 2021, and she finds this thrilling! Her primary school reports mention that she should revise her understanding of 3D shapes.
Find ‘Crater’ and ‘The world is too loud but only for me’ in Bloom.
Erin Ewen
Erin Ewen is an emerging writer and Vertigo 2021 editor. She has spent the last three years studying Journalism and Creative Writing. She still refuses to decide.
Find ‘Next, I Rise’ in Bloom.
Ellie Campbell
Ellie Campbell is a student journalist and writer living in Sydney’s inner city. In between pouring beers at the local pub, she spends her time reporting on community issues, reading about women’s rights and geeking out over Lou Reed.
Find ‘Reading To Face The Demons’ in Bloom.
Hugh Tranter
Hugh Tranter is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Creative Writing at UTS. His interest is in writing about Australian history, through both fiction and non-fiction. He enjoys travel, reading, art, and water sports when there are no bull sharks in the immediate vicinity.
Find ‘The Lights Are Fled’ in Bloom.
Laurie Geddes
Laurie Geddes is a Sydney-based writer with over 30 years’ experience as an advertising copywriter and a drawer full of unfinished personal projects, ranging from a feature film screenplay to a novel for young readers. She is currently completing a Master of Arts in Creative Writing at UTS.
Find ‘Off My Chest’ in Bloom.
Kerri Le
Kerri Le is student of Creative Writing. She spends most of her conscious life wrestling between working a corporate job and raising a family. In her subconscious life, she is crafting a first novel in her head.
Find ‘Genghis Khan – Markings’ in Bloom.
