Georgia Clark

What’s On in New York, June 2017

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Our monthly events list often leads with the fun happenings from the AWNY committee but June has quite a highlight. One of AWNY’s most popular events is the ‘Working in the USA’ careers advice evening. You’ll learn top tips for job searching, seeking out networking opportunities, optimizing your resume for the US market, and listen to the job search experiences of other New York based Aussies. The event is led by our President Belinda Jackson (Prosell international). The tickets for this event go quickly and space is limited to secure your spot!

We also have our Annual AWNY picnic on this month (June 24th in Central Park) and a great list of fun things to do in New York as we had into the steamy months of summer.

Enjoy!

June means Jazz in New York City and it’s definitely the month to get to one of the 100 performances at the Blue Note Jazz Festival (various venues). You’re guaranteed great music and performances run throughout June. Schedule, locations, tix available here.

Free Summer Movies start June 2 at various locations around the 5 boroughs. There’s mix of pics to delight all ages. A schedule of movies, dates and locations is found on the NYC Park website. All the movies are free.

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival simply has to be included on our June What’s On list. The organizers encourage the addressing of Human Rights Issues in the films selected for the festival, and unsurprisingly there is a broad list presented this year. The festival runs from June 9-18 at with showing at either the Lincoln Center or IFC Center. Details and tickets available here.

June also sees the commencement of the SummerStage series, free outdoor concerts at various locations around the city, that run into September. Elvis Costello, The Metropolitan Opera, and Freedom Party are highlights for June.  This link provides a view of everything happening in June. Expand to to see the entire SummerStage series.

Fifth Avenue goes car free (well, for 23 blocks) on June 13 for the Museum Mile Evening, commencing at 6pm. All the museums along the stretch of fifth dubbed ‘Museum Mile’ are free and there will be live music to entertain you as you hop between them. Schedule and details available here.

Working in the USA Event is on June 14th at the Australian Consulate. Polish your resume, learn great networking tips, interview skills and job seeking advice. If you’re currently looking for a new role, or even thinking about starting a job search in New York, then don’t miss this event. It’s one of our most popular events each year, so make sure you secure a spot!  Tickets available through the AWNY Facebook event page.

USA Father’s Day is June 18! If you’re celebrating and need options, there’s this Jazz brunch cruise, the Father’s day scavenger hunt, Smorgasburg, or check out Open Table and book a table somewhere fancy or fun.

This month’s Generation Women event brings together Australian author and AWNY Member Georgia Clark, along with 4 other notable women from different generations to read and share their perspectives on a theme. This month’s theme: my first time saying no. The event is on June 21st and tickets are a very reasonable $25, available through this link.

Take advantage of the totally free Concerts in the Park series and listen to the New York Philharmonic orchestra on one of 5 performances between June 13-18 at various locations around the city. Information and schedules available here.

The Annual AWNY Picnic in the Park is on June 21st. We’ll be there from 2pm – 4pm for bring the whole family, plus any visitors you have in town, and enjoy a great afternoon with your Australian friends. We’ll have games and face painting to entertain the kids, please bring your own picnic lunch. For more info, visit the AWNY Facebook event page.

Photo credit: Joanna Hishon

Faces of AWNY: Georgia Clark

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Author Georgia Clark shares gives us a peek into her life and experiences in New York.

Tell us about yourself and why you moved to NYC?

I moved to NYC because I fell in love with the city and felt like I needed a big, exciting, scary change to kick-start my life. I was 29, single, hungry, restless and had lived in Sydney since starting uni. I wanted an adventure: and I got it.

Where are you from? How long have you been here?

I went to school at Gosford High School on the Central Coast, having grown up in Hornsby Heights and then moving to North Sydney when I was in Year 10 (so yes, it was a 2 hour commute to school every day!). I’ve been in NYC for 7.5 years.

Favorite NYC brunch spot

Dead heat between Five Leaves in Greenpoint and Diner in South Williamsburg.

Favorite NYC cocktail spot & cocktail of choice

I love some sort of spicy/sweet jalapeño margarita (like the Firewalker at Nitehawk cinema: amazing!). My girlfriend and I like getting the happy hour wine and a little cheese at Miusa, which is a cute little place close to our home.

How did you get into your job in NYC?

My current job is being an author, and I got that because my agent and I sold my first adult fiction novel, The Regulars, to Simon & Schuster in January 2015. I’m very lucky, but I also worked damn hard, unpaid, for years to get there! [Ed’s note: Georgia spoke about just how hard she worked at our recent event, Australian Writers in New York.]

What do you like about being part of AWNY?

I love being connected to so many smart, hard-working, curious Australian women. When the tide rises, all boats float.

What was your biggest win recently?

The Regulars launched in the UK on August 11, 2016, and we got some wonderful press. We got a great rave in the Sunday Mirror, Grazia published a two-page article, In-Style published a piece I wrote on how to write your first book, and Look called the book “Mean Girls with magic”, which is simply the best.

What’s the biggest challenge or road block you’ve been faced with since being in NYC and how do you overcome it?

I couldn’t get work for a long time and I was very broke. I foolishly thought that having a good resume and solid experience in Australia would translate well in America: it does not. I could’ve tried to get full-time work but I knew if I did that I’d never have the time to write and that was my priority. I subsisted on piecemeal writing work, like writing daily deal type copy for sites like Living Social and living on vegetable soup (Every. Single. Day) until I finally got a good freelance gig, and was able to get on top of debt and have a decent standard of living. But it was a long, tough road to that.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about living/working in NYC?

Persistence is key. It is all about who you know. It takes about 5 years to truly settle and put down real roots here, so be patient, if you’re serious about making a life here. Get a proper winter jacket.

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Event Review: Australian Writers in New York panel discussion – August 4, 2016

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By Zoe Potter

How do I make it as a writer in New York?

It’s a question that has plagued aspiring authors from Tom Wolfe to Carrie Bradshaw.

On Thursday August 4, 2016 a group of Australian women and friends gathered at the Monash room of the Australian Consulate-General to hear from Georgia Clark, Lexi Frieman and Rachel Hills, three young Australian authors who live in the Big Apple.

We were treated to a frank, funny and wisdom-filled discussion moderated by Estelle Tang, Culture Editor at Elle.com. Georgia, Lexi and Rachel began by reading an excerpt from their work which gave us an enticing introduction to their individual voice and style.

The discussion was fascinating for book worms and writers alike as the panel provided a broad perspective on many aspects of writing and publishing. Georgia Clark recently published her novel The Regulars (buy it here). She has also published the young adult novels She’s With The Band and Parched. Rachel Hills gave us insight into the world of non-fiction publishing, having published The Sex Myth in 2015. Lexi Freiman had the inside word on being an editor and working on the publishing side of the fence, as well as being an author and a graduate of Columbia’s MFA.

Advice From the Writers

We learned that the road to being published and being successful is long and tough, usually involving a day job which pays the bills and writing at night and on weekends. Each author emphasized the importance of building your network and making connections, which becomes particularly important when trying to secure a publishing deal. Building relationships also assists with promoting your finished product and getting media coverage which is essential in this information-saturated world.

It was clear that behind every published novel is a lot of grit, tenacity and determination, along with blood, sweat and tears! To make it as a writer you have to pour your heart and soul into your work and be prepared to try and try again.

A big thank you to the Australian Consulate-General for supporting the event and making the beautiful Monash room available.

Take a look at the event photos on the AWNY Facebook page.

Don’t miss our next event

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Bad Beauty: How women write about beauty (in a post Lena Dunham world)

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How do we challenge beauty standards while being subject to them?

If you missed the AWNY event, ‘Australian Writers in New York’ last week (or if you did attend and loved it), join Australia’s Georgia Clark for an energizing discussion about women, identity and beauty, and the role these three themes play in their lives and work. Georgia will be joined by three other amazing New York authors, Phoebe Robinson, Emily Schultz, and Autumn Whitefield-Madrano.

$26 gets you admission and a signed copy of Georgia’s book ‘The Regulars’.

The event is on Wednesday August 17th, 7-8PM at Strand bookstore 828 Broadway (rare book room). Tickets can be purchased through this site.

What’s On August 2016

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Hot enough? Hot. Enough. While we do love a good New York Summer, the heat and humidity of the past couple of weeks has pushed the limits. It’s especially obvious on the subway, where the platforms are like ovens and the air conditioning is frequently failing, dragging our tolerance levels down with it. This weekend looks to provide a welcome break with cooler conditions, and to perk us up even more, here’s the pick of the best events in New York in August. Make sure you get to the Australian Writers in New York event next week at the Australian Consulate, and the AAA Rooftop Summer Social at the Northern Territory Brooklyn on Aug 10, and get out and experience New York Restaurant Week, or soak up one of …

Curated by the AWNY Communications Team

Australian Writers in New York, hosted by AWNY, is on next August 4th, in the Monash Room at the Australian Consulate. The reception will commencing at 6.30PM, the panel event shortly thereafter with authors Georgia Clark, Lexi Freiman, and Rachel Hills, discussing what it takes to make it as a writer in New York City. Tickets here.

AAA Rooftop Summer Social at the Northern Territory, Brooklyn, will on August 10th from 6.30PM. There is no cover charge for this event (cash bar) so get along and catch up with Aussie friends, new and old. All welcome, and additional information can be found here.

Head’s Up! Broadway Week doesn’t actually start until September, but the tickets go on sale on August 18th so mark your calendar for this date, hop online and grab some show tix at 2 for 1 rates.

Brooklyn-based Australian Artist, Courtney Bae, will be exhibiting her work at the Denise Fibro Fine Art Gallery from now until August 3rd. The Gallery is located at 529 West 20th Street, 4W.

It might be called New York Restaurant ‘Week,’ but it actually runs well into the month of August and it’s a great way to experience your favorite restaurants or try new ones, at great prices (including UWS Aussie-owned favorite, Burke and Wills). Search restaurants and book directly through NYCgo.com. Runs until August 19th.

The Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors program is running until August 13th and is a great way to escape your sticky apartment and enjoy totally free performances in and around the Lincoln Center Plaza (W66th and Broadway).

The New York Blues BBQ Festival is a great experience if you’ve got the afternoon of August 20th free. It’s now in the 17th year and is moving to the larger location, Pier 97, commencing at 2PM. The event is free, more information here.

Remember Belinda Carlisle? Her 80s’ rock band The Go-Go’s are performing on August 13th at the Rumsey Playfield Central Park as part of the SummerStage series. Tickets are still available for general admission and reasonable at $50 a pop. For the diary – The Beach Boys perform as part of the same series on September 14.

Keen to get fit post summer? Here’s a FREE way how. The biggest mass peer-to-peer fundraising event in Australia has arrived in NYC! Register to walk/exercise 10,000 steps a day every day from 1-28th September by taking part in the worldwide challenge STEPTEMBER. Let’s put some Aussie effort behind it in its first year in the Big Apple. Grab 3 friends, register, choose ‘AWNY’ as your organization and use the promo code ‘AWNY’ to get free rego + a pedometer! You will also be helping to support research into a cure for cerebral palsy; the most common physical disability in childhood.

And finally – save the date girls! AWNY Bike Tour Brooklyn to Manhattan is on September 17th!

Photo Credit: Joanna Hishon