The Writer in Residence program has been a very special part of KRaW — nurturing writers, sparking conversations, and strengthening the creative life of our community.
As we’ve been adjusting to the many moving parts involved in organising the festival, we’ve had to take an honest look at our capacity this year. After careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause the Writer in Residence program for 2026.
This certainly wasn’t an easy choice. The program means a great deal to us, and we know it does to many of you as well. However, taking a short break will allow us to consolidate, plan thoughtfully, and ensure the program can return strong and sustainable.
We very much hope to welcome back our Writer in Residence in 2027.
Thank you for your ongoing encouragement and support of Kyogle Readers and Writers — it truly makes all of this possible.
The 2025 Kyogle Writer in Residence programme was generously funded by Kyogle Council.
KRAW is thrilled to announce our 2025 Writer in Resident Polly Jude.
Polly writes contemporary YA fiction about kick-arse women.
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 were looking to support a writer of Young Adult (YA) fiction based in regional NSW or South East Queensland.
As the successful applicant, Polly will receive two-weeks accommodation in Kyogle this June to work on her manuscript, a $2,000 stipend, mentorship sessions and feedback on her work from YA author Hayley Lawrence, and appearance on a panel at this years’ Literary Allsorts Festival.
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.