PERMISSION

Masterclass 2 - April 1 2026

Are you allowed to do that? This session looks at giving yourself permission to write freely, as well as addressing the ethical questions around writing from life, story sovereignty, appropriation and attribution. We’ll show you how to fight corrosive self-censorship, explore responsibility, rebellion and disobedience, and how to attune to the value in what you’re creating.

Class discussion includes:

  • territory, ownership, accuracy
  • defamation, copyright & plagiarism
  • fear of judgement
  • what you need to get right, what doesn't matter
  • defying conventions
  • ethics of appropriation & story sovereignty
  • transgression & rebellion
  • creative risk-taking on & off the page


  • Day & time

    Live class Wednesday April 1; Sydney time 10am-11am; NZ time 12pm-1pm.

  • Zoom class

    Zoom link provided in the week prior to each webinar class. Links to video, readings and other resources provided after class for viewing anytime over the following 6 months.

  • Cost

    $60AUD

  • About Emily Perkins

    Emily is an award-winning writer from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her novels have twice won Best Book of Fiction at the New Zealand Book Awards (including Lioness in 2024) as well as Best First Book of Fiction for her debut collection of stories. Other recognition includes the Believer Book of the Year (US), the Geoffrey Faber Prize (UK), and long-listing for the Women’s Prize UK. Her books include The Forrests, Novel About My Wife, The New Girl, Leave Before You Go and Not Her Real Name. She is an Arts Foundation Laureate and Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

  • About Charlotte Wood

    Charlotte is the author of seven novels and three books of non-fiction. Her latest book Stone Yard Devotional was short-listed for the 2024 Booker Prize and five other awards, drawing praise from authors Anne Enright, Tim Winton, Karen Joy Fowler and others. Previous books include The Luminous Solution on the creative process; the international bestseller, The Weekend; and the Stella Prize-winning The Natural Way of Things. In 2023 Sydney’s Belvoir Theatre Company staged an adaptation of her novel The Weekend, and The Natural Way of Things featured in ABC Television’s 2021 series ‘The Books That Made Us’.