Writers in Residence program

About the program

Background

Moreland's Writers in Residence program provides a unique opportunity for three writers to develop their practice in one of Australia's most thriving arts communities. This initiative was developed as part of Creative Capital – Merri-bek's Arts and Culture Strategy — in recognition of the vital role writers play to the creative sector of Merri-bek. The Writers in Residence Program is considered by Council as an important opportunity to support Merri-bek's local writers and promote their work.

The aim of the program is to support writers at all stages of their career with resources and space to strengthen their professional practice. In line with Council's Human Rights Policy 2016 - 2026, the Merri-bek Writers in Residence program is also designed to encourage writers who face additional barriers in the development of their writing careers, such as writers with disability, female writers, LGBTIQ writers and writers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers.

Each year, up to three successful applicants are provided with an honorarium of $3,000 and access to a studio space for a period of three months.

The Merri-bek Writers in Residence Program is open to emerging, mid-career and established writers including writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama, children's literature, script and screenwriting for stage, radio, television and film, and podcasts. The program is however closed to full time academics.

To find out more about the program, please read the guidelines below:

• Arts and Culture - Writers In Residence Guidelines 2020 (PDF 357Kb)
• Arts and Culture - Writers In Residence Guidelines 2020 - accessible (DOC 710Kb)

Enquiries regarding this grant program should be made to Moreland Arts Grants.

2020 program recipients

• Lauren Anderson & Meegan May - Brunswick based co-writers Lauren and Meegan will continue to work on the first six 20-minute episodes of their podcast, Starship Gold Star in preparation for recording in early-mid 2021.
• Andrew Weldon, a freelance cartoonist and Brunswick East Resident, will use the residency to further develop his graphic memoir, It's All Silver Lining — an account and reflection of his experiences dealing with Erdheim-Chester Disease (ECD), complex, rare health condition .
• Magdalena McGuire, a Fawkner based writer, will use the residency to draft three stories: ‘Below Zero’, ‘How to Write a Happy Story’, and ‘I, Melanie Withers’ as part of her collection of short stories about motherhood and transgression, We Burn with Stories.

2019 program recipients

• Millie Baylis, a writer and Brunswick West resident, worked on her memoir, Swimming Lessons about living with invisible mental and physical chronic illness. The linked stories/essays examine memory, trauma and writing about the self.
• Kamarra Bell-Wykes, an Award-winning playwright and Fawkner resident, worked on her latest play, WHOSE GONNA LOVE 'EM? directly inspired by her time living in Fawkner and her imaginings on the spiritual and historical significance of the local area; specifically, the Fawkner Memorial Park.
• Koraly Dimitriadis, a daughter of Cypriot migrants, writer and lifelong Merri-bek resident,  worked on her novel, Divided Island giving voice to the rich migrant stories of our culturally diverse community.
  
  

2018 program recipients

• Emily Brewin, a novelist and East Brunswick resident used the residency to draft her third novel from Sherwood House.
• Kate Lefoe, a filmmaker and Coburg resident used the residency to draft a script for her proposed feature length film, Wicked Women.
• Robert Skinner, a writer and Brunswick resident continued to develop his book of short stories.

Other Funding Opportunities

For information on other available Merri-bek City Council grants, head to the Community Grants program page.