I run workshops and short courses on all aspects of writing, editing, and publishing. I also run workshops for secondary students wanting to improve their writing skills, as well as for English teachers interested in expanding their lesson repertoire when it comes to creative writing. Finally, I have spent many years running workshops and short courses for HSC students undertaking Extension 2 English and am happy to collaborate with schools wanting to provide such opportunities to their students.

Details regarding new and upcoming workshops and courses will be posted to this page. However, if you have suggestions regarding workshop options, or if you have a group of 4-8 people and you'd like me to design a specific workshop to meet your own unique needs, please feel free to fill in the Workshops Form below. 

Upcoming workshops and presentations...

Upcoming workshops 

HSC Workshop - Ext 2 English: Refining, reflecting, and submitting - Thursday 15 March 2018  
This is the second in the series of HSC Extension 2 English workshops run by Siboney Duff through the Byron Writers Festival program for 2018 HSC students. This full-day workshop moves on from the initial processes explored in Workshop 1 and delves into the drafting and editorial stages of the work.
Students will learn how to assess their creative works-in-progress for thematic sophistication, textual integrity, and narrative drive, as well as considering their final Reflection Statement and exploring how best to give the HSC examiners what they want. They will explore the editorial process and learn how to undertake a Four Stage Editing Protocol, looking at overall structure, characterisation and setting, and dramatisation and exposition. They will also examine their works in progress to assess viewpoint, perspective and time shifts, and learn how to embed literary techniques such as symbolism, motifs, metaphor, intertextuality, and foreshadowing (even if it’s retrospectively). 
To attend, visit http://byronwritersfestival.com/whats-on/

Mapping ART - Strategic Planning for Writers (and other Creatives)- Saturday 24 February 2018
This full-day workshop is about the interplay between dreaming and doing – about the fine art of getting shit done.
Participants will learn Siboney’s Mapping ART method to creative strategic planning, a process she has developed based on best-practice ‘business world’ accountability structures and processes, and underscored by self-care and the principles of stoicism. Forget SWAT analyses and Key Performance Indicators – you’re a human being and an artist, not a machine. Your process needs to be sensitively constructed with creativity in mind – but you still need to produce. And earn an income. And take care of your family. And feed the dog. This workshop will show you how to build and expand your professional skills and profile while living a rich (and hectic) life. 
To attend, visit http://byronwritersfestival.com/whats-on/

Successful submissions – How to write grant applications that impress - 24 November 2017
Join Siboney Duff – writer, editor, and grant assessor – for this three hour seminar and learn how to write the best possible submission for your particular project. Everything from rationale to budgets to the assessment process will be discussed, and participants will leave armed with an overview of the annual funding calendar and a plan for making the most of it.
To attend, visit http://byronwritersfestival.com/whats-on/grant-applications-workshop/

HSC Workshop Ext 2 English - 22 November 2017
This full day workshop – run by teacher, writer and editor, Siboney Duff – will explore the requirements of the Extension 2 English course, discuss literary form and narrative structure, provide students with a four term ‘plan of action’ for their Major Work, and share tips and hints for how to make the most of their ideas and unique literary skills and talents.
To attend, visit http://byronwritersfestival.com/whats-on/extension-2-english/

Southern Highlands Writers' Festival - 18 July 2017
Got a manuscript and feeling overwhelmed as to what to do next? In this workshop, in conjunction with the Friends of the Wingecarribee Libraries, Siboney Duff will focus on the editorial process, teaching participants how to edit their work for clarity, narrative drive, reader engagement and publication.
To purchase a ticket, visit https://www.shwf.com.au/

Weekend Workshop 
From Concept to Edit - Book-ending the Creative Writing Process
Have a writing project you're keen to embark on? Or complete? Need some creative inspiration together with some practical advice? Then this weekend workshop could be just the thing you need. BOOK NOW - places are strictly limited. Click HERE for more info.

ETA Conference
Embedding Creativity in the English Classroom
Textual analysis is the bread and butter of many an English teacher's repertoire. And yet, more often than not, those very same skilled and knowledgeable teachers tend to break out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of generating their own piece of creative writing. This presentation will briefly examine the science behind creativity as a learning tool, explore the myriad ways English teachers can embrace and nurture creativity in students, and provide a range of practical strategies for teaching creative writing through a creative approach to textual analysis (rather than as a discrete unit).