Local Writer Alexis Philp Wins Writing Competition

Menindee writer Alexis Philp has been announced as the winner of West Darling Arts' What Would You Write? competition, receiving a brand-new laptop to help bring her creative worlds to life.

The competition invited Aboriginal women aged 15 and over from across Far West NSW to share what they would write if they had access to a new laptop, encouraging storytelling, creativity and self-expression.

Alexis's winning entry combined humour, heart and a wonderful sense of imagination, describing the challenges of being a writer and mother in a household where every device quickly becomes community property.

As Alexis wrote:

"Every device becomes community property, every login shared. I’m borrowing back my own tired laptop, the one that’s already survived four kids and one too many game downloads and trying to create on a battery that gives up faster than the Wi-Fi on a hot Broken Hill day."

But beyond the frustrations of a well-loved family laptop, Alexis has some ambitious creative projects underway.

She is the creator and author of the Commonwealth Galactic Authority (CGA), an imaginative youth-support universe designed to help young people navigate life's challenges through stories and comics.

She is also working on a novel, Andy and the Ladies' Auxiliary, inspired by memories of her late father, who worked on the railways in Sydney before becoming station master at Menindee.

For Alexis, the laptop represents much more than a new piece of technology. It's an opportunity to give both creative projects the time and attention they deserve.

Continuing a legacy of women's storytelling

Before its closure, Mona Magazine championed women in rural and regional communities through writing, art and creative expression.

Through this partnership with West Darling Arts, the magazine has continued that commitment by supporting opportunities for Aboriginal women in Far West NSW to share their voices and develop their creative aspirations.

The What Would You Write? competition was designed to recognise not only writing talent, but also the importance of providing practical resources that make creative expression possible.

West Darling Arts congratulates Alexis on her winning entry and looks forward to seeing where her imagination, and her new laptop, take her next!