New England Writers’ Centre, Media Release, 1 August 2022
In partnership with Varuna, The National Writers’ House, the New England Writers’ Centre is delighted to announce that entries are now open for the fourth year of the prestigious Varuna-New England Writers’ Centre Fellowship.
Applications open 1 August for the 2022 Varuna-New England Writers’ Centre Fellowship, which, through a competitive process, will offer the Fellowship winner a week’s inspirational writing residency in the beautiful surroundings of Varuna, in the Blue Mountains. The Fellowship package will offer full board and accommodation at Varuna, funds towards travel, a one-on-one consultation with a Varuna expert and more.
The Fellowship is open to all writers, at any stage of their career, and working in any literary genre, who are either currently living in the New England region (defined as the federal New England
Electorate) or who have previously lived there for at least five years.
Applications close on Monday 5 September 2022. Assessment of applications will be conducted by a panel of New England-based literary professionals to establish a shortlist of three finalists. From this, Varuna will select the winner, to be announced in October 2022, with the Fellowship to be taken up in 2023.
“Artistic merit, strong characters and a solid plan for completing the work are the key criteria for our assessors,” says Chair of the New England Writers’ Centre, Sophie Masson. “We welcome
manuscripts at any stage of development, working in any form of literary creation, including fiction, drama, poetry, children’s books and narrative non-fiction.”
Last year’s winner of the Fellowship was Armidale-based artist, writer and science communicator, Dr James O’Hanlon, who won a publishing contract for his book I Love Spiders, as a direct result of being awarded the Fellowship. The 2020 Fellowship was awarded to author and songwriter, Helena Pastor, for her submission One Fork, One Knife, One Life, for her manuscript exploring the psyche of immigration and multicultural Australia. The inaugural 2019 Varuna-NEWC Fellowship was awarded
to author and editor, Anna Thompson, for her supernatural genre novel Bloodwood.
“We have been thrilled by the range and quality of the submissions emerging from the New England,” says Varuna’s Strategic Initiatives and Development Officer, Rebecca Goosen. “We can’t wait to see what new talents will emerge this year.”
Applications can be made through the Varuna website: https://www.varuna.com.au/fellowships/newc
