Blue Mountains (Australia) Residency 2023

Co-presented by Varuna, the National Writers’ House, Australia, the Irish Writers Centre and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre.

The Irish Writers Centre, in collaboration with Varuna, The National Writers’ House (Australia) and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, are thrilled to announce that applications are now open for a brand new four-week international residency offered in Australia in the National Writers’ House for one month in October, inclusive of participation in the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.

IWC Strategy

In keeping with goals 1 and 3 of the IWC 2022-2026 strategy, this programme will support a professional writer to advance their craft and career and enhance their confidence and capabilities; it will develop the networks that connect writers to each other, creating a stronger and wider writing community.

Programme Outline

This four-week residency includes:

• Accommodation and meals
• €1250 towards airfare and expenses
• An opportunity for the selected writer to participate in the Blue Mountains Writers Festival that takes place on October 20-22, 2023

There is one residency available for a fiction or nonfiction writer (this residency is not available for poetry, playwriting or screenwriting). The writer will be responsible for booking their return flights. A visa is required for entry to Australia for Irish citizens, which is also the successful writer’s responsibility to organise.

The residency will take place at the Varuna the National Writers’ House (141 Cascade Street, Katoomba NSW 2780 Australia)

More about the Blue Mountain Residencies 

Eligibility

Please note that all applicants must be over the age of 18 and resident on the island of Ireland.

The residency is open to professional writers with a track record of publication (one or two books) with your most recent book having been published within 2 years as of your application. Only writers of fiction or nonfiction are eligible for this residency (poetry, playwriting and screenwriting are ineligible). They must be available for the full residency period and agree to participate in the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.

The IWC is working towards the development of our first equality and diversity policy, and taking steps to promote equality of opportunity for all those living in Ireland, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, as well as socio-economic background. We encourage writers from backgrounds typically underrepresented in Irish literature to apply for these bursaries, and will place a strong focus on ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status when evaluating applications.

Applications will be evaluated by an external selection panel, with reference to the considerations outlined in our EDI Statement and to the case made in your application form as to how you would benefit from this programme.

Varuna has a wheelchair-accessible studio and a Disability Inclusion Action Plan. We encourage writers with a disability to email varuna@varuna.com.au to discuss specific access requirements which may be required during a residency. More information can be found on our accessibility page of Varuna’s website https://www.varuna.com.au/accessiblity.  Note however that Varuna has no medical facilities, and no out-of-hours staff onsite. Applicants with special medical needs should contact the Executive Director before applying.

How to Apply

We ask that all applicants apply through our online application form by 5pm on Wednesday June 7, 2023.

If you have any difficulties accessing this link or have questions about the programme, please contact us at projects@writerscentre.ie

You will need to send:

• A statement outlining how the residency would benefit you (300 words max.)
• An overview of how you plan to spend your time during the residency (300 words max.)
• Evidence of your ability to present your work as part of a writers’ festival (200 words max.)
• Your writer’s CV (that includes your published works with ISBNs)
• Three different samples of your published work* (500 words max.)

*the last sample should be a work-in-progress (preferably the one you would like to work on in Australia).

Please submit your work samples, statement and writing CV saved as a single Word doc or PDF. Incorrect formatting will disqualify.

Deadline

Wednesday June 7, 2023 at 5pm. Late applications will not be accepted.

Acknowledgments

Varuna, The Tyrone Guthrie Centre and the Irish Writers Centre are grateful to the Australia Council for the Arts and the Arts Council of Ireland for their support of this project.

About Varuna

Varuna is the foremost institution for literature development in Australia. The core mission of Varuna is to inspire the creation of Australian writing that enriches and shapes our culture. Through its program of fellowships, writers’ residencies, international residencies and community events, Varuna provides the time and space for writers to develop their craft and professional writing practice. Varuna has also developed an international reach by encouraging an international exchange of writing and ideas, reflected in the strong commitment to our overseas partners, such as Tyrone Guthrie and the Irish Writers’ Centre.

About the Irish Writers Centre

As the leading support and development organisation for writers since 1991, the Irish Writers Centre carries out its work, online and in person, on an all island basis. We work with writers of all types and talents, and actively encourage writers from all communities to engage in creative writing. We provide many ways and means for them to develop their skill, advance their ambitions and join a vibrant and diverse community of people who share their passion and purpose.

We are also a membership organisation, always seeking new opportunities for members to grow as writers and to connect with each other through IWC programmes and supports.

About the Tyrone Guthrie Centre

The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is a cross-border organisation that offers time away, space to work, and opportunities for collaboration and networking for artists that facilitates the development of their practice across all art forms. Annaghmakerrig House is situated in the quiet countryside of County Monaghan, and together with our self-catering cottages, our studios and performance spaces, as well as our lake and our forests, gardens, and fields, The Tyrone Guthrie Centre is a place where creativity flourishes amid the many pressures and distractions of contemporary life. Providing a quiet environment that esteems, supports, and develops our artists is what we do, but we aim to do it more holistically by creating audiences for our artists where appropriate, and by creating partnerships with organisations such as The Irish Writers Centre for the benefit of artists from all communities on the island of Ireland.