It was truly a ‘Weekend of Words' at the Annual Idiom 23 Writers' Workshop at North Keppel Island recently.

Coordinated by CQUniversity's Dr Lynda Hawryluk, the workshop brought out the best in 34 creative writers from as far away as Ireland, Darwin and Brisbane.

"This was another successful annual workshop presented by Idiom 23, which have been running since the early 90s. It is a highlight of the year for all who regularly take part in this weekend," Lynda said.

"Many of our regular workshop participants took part, but there were also some first-timers amongst the group. The annual workshop has often attracted CQUniversity students and alumni and has even inspired some to enrol in the Master of Letters program."

This year's workshop focused on the development of a piece of writing inspired by a beachcombing expedition where each participant had to collect something of interest.

From unusual coral to driftwood and from seed pods to beer bottles, writers were inspired by the vast possibilities of how the items came to Kanomi, the traditional name for North Keppel Island.

Writers engaged in poetry, prose and short story writing and have been encouraged to submit their work for publication on the Idiom 23 website at http://idiom23.cqu.edu.au/

As part of the workshop, Professor Donna Brien also presented a thought provoking session on food writing where writers used their senses and childhood memories to create a piece of writing inspired by food.

Some interesting writing pieces were created, highlighting the writers' love of spaghetti, coffee, lamb roast and even Milo, amongst many more.

Song writing was also on the agenda with CQUniversity's Steve Butler guiding the writers through the process of creating their own ‘hit' songs, many of which were strummed out during an after-dinner concert.

Research on the workshops as a form of cultural tourism was discussed on the final day, with many participants agreeing they were fortunate to be able to experience an educational cultural event in the Central Queensland area.

Idiom 23 will be available later this year; edited by Dr Liz Huf with assistance from Dr Lynda Hawryluk.