* An emerging writer is a writer who has not previously published a full-length work of fiction with a commercial publisher, and an early-career writer is a writer with no more than one (1) full-length work published with a commercial publisher.
*If you’re currently living in a city in NSW or South East Queensland but have a strong connection to regional Australia (for example, you grew up in regional Australia and are writing regionally-set stories) you are still eligible to apply.
The Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival is seeking applications for the 2025 Writer in Residence program.
Now in its fourth year, the supports regionally based writers to develop their manuscripts through the provision of accommodation, funding and a mentorship with an established author. Previous Writer in Residence have included Jarrah Dundler, Charlotte O’Neill and Nadia Johansen.
This year we’re looking to support a Young Adult (YA) writer based in regional NSW and South East Queensland*.
The successful applicant will receive two-weeks accommodation in Kyogle this June to work on their manuscript, a $2,000 stipend, mentorship sessions and feedback on their work from YA author Hayley Lawrence, and appearance on a panel at this years’ Literary Allsorts Festival.
If you have a YA manuscript in development, are an emerging or early-career writer, and feel you’d benefit from participating in this years’ Writer in Residence, we’d you to love you to hear from you.
To apply, you’ll need to compete the application form and submit 8,000 to 10,000-word sample of your work.
If you have any questions please contact Writer in Residence coordinator, Jarrah Dundler at residencies@kraw.com.au
Submissions are open from Monday the 24th of March and will close on Monday the 5th of May, with the winner announced approximately three weeks after this date.
Hayley Lawrence
Hayley writes young adult novels full of heart and hope, often inspired by her work as a lawyer. She lives in the seaside town of Port Macquarie with her five wild daughters where she stays up too late, too often, writing into the witching hours of the night. Her novels have been shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council Awards, The Vogel Literary Prize for young writers, and in 2023, her novel The Other Side of Tomorrow received an Honour Award from the Children’s Book Council of Australia.
Jarrah Dundler
Jarrah was raised on Bundjalung country in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, where he now lives with his partner and children. His debut novel Hey Brother, a coming-of-age story set in and around Kyogle, was shortlisted for the Vogel Literary Award. Jarrah has worked on the selection panel for four rounds of the annual Varuna Residential Fellowships, is a board member of Writing NSW, and the current recipient of a Creative Australia grant to work on his middle-grade novel manuscript.
The 2024 Kyogle Writer in Residence programme was generously funded by the NSW Government through a Create NSW Country Arts Support Programme grant, administered through Arts Northern Rivers.
Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival is thrilled to announce Lismore local Charlotte O’Neill as its 2024 Writer in Residence.
More than 60 emerging writers across regional NSW applied for the residency with Charlotte’s work standing out from the crowd. Mullumbimby-based author, Jessie Cole, one of the judges for the residency noted that “Charlotte’s writing is intuitive and engaging, deeply felt but also funny.”
Author Michael Burge, another of this year’s judges, noted “We were treated to a range of great reads across multiple genres. It was wonderful to read so much rural-inspired, solid work”.
Kyogle Readers and Writers Creative Director Paul Shields, also on the selection panel, was glowing in his appraisal — “Charlotte has a delicacy and thoughtfulness to her writing that makes me want to unpick the fragments of her narrative.”
Charlotte is analysing the representation of bushfires in Australian colonial fiction through her candidature as a PhD student in creative writing at the University of Newcastle.
“As part of my course, I am writing a novel based on the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfire disaster, which had a horrific impact on parts of the Northern Rivers region. My work explores grief for things that are lost in the relationships between people and nature”.
“Being the 2024 Kyogle Writer in Residence will enable me to have a couple of weeks of solitude where I can focus entirely on writing. I’m also looking forward to connecting with local creatives, and participating in the Kyogle Readers and Writers Festival”, Charlotte said.
The residency, worth in total, $5000.00, includes two weeks of accommodation in the Kyogle region, living expenses and mentoring by Ms Cole.
I was ecstatic when I found out that I was named the Kyogle Writers Festival’s Writer in Residence. Like a lot of creatives, the stress and uncertainty of the past few years has left me exhausted and uninspired. I was finding it very difficult to write so I applied for the residency to help break out of my creative rut. Already I feel my creative spark coming back. The past few days I’ve woken up early in the morning with ideas for stories pouring out of my head (and I’ve been desperately trying to capture them before they disappear). Just knowing that I will soon have dedicated time and space to work on these ideas away from the stresses and responsibilities of my day-to-day life is helping me feel much more relaxed and inspired. During the residency, I’m hoping to develop several ideas into fully formed short stories then cajole those into a manuscript.
I’m glad that attending the Kyogle Writer’s Festival is a part of the residency. Exploring ideas with people interested in books and storytelling is a great way to get my own creativity flowing. Plus, Kyogle is a beautiful town built on gorgeous Country and I’m excited to explore that as well. Residencies like this are important for all writers but for me as an emerging writer this will help me to get more work out in the world and move forward with my writing journey. Thank you to the Kyogle Writer’s Festival for this support.
2022’s residency was open to applications from Aborginal or Torres Strait Islander writers based anywhere in Australia. With submissions open to poetry, prose, and creative nonfiction.
Judges Grace Lucas-Pennington, Mirandi Riwoe and Merinda Dutton had a tough call on their hands, with all the calibre of applicants incredibly high. Gungarri writer and editor Nadia Johansen won them over with the quality of her writing.
Nadia will be joined us for a number of events at the festival ahead of engaging in the Writer in Residence program.
Kyogle Writers Festival thanks the judges for their time and due care, and to all of the applicants who trusted us with their work.
The Writer in Residence program was made possible through the support of the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund and Kyogle Council.