This two-week online fellowship includes:
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An hour-long one-on-one conversation with Mary Anne Butler and Conor Kostick to talk about your current work.
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Facilitated professional networking opportunities with your peers, including the opportunity to share work, talk about process, and receive feedback.
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An online Q&A session with best-selling Australian author Pip Williams.
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An online Q&A session with an award-winning Irish writer (to be announced).
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An online industry exchange, with representatives from the Irish and Australian publishing industries, including Penguin Random House Australia publisher Meredith Curnow and more to be announced.
The expectation is that you will spend at least three hours dedicated writing time each day (although this is flexible according to your own personal circumstances), and that you will be available for all evening sessions, Monday – Friday, 9 – 20 June 2025.
Participants will need a reliable internet connection, and a computer or mobile phone with a webcam and microphone.
KEY DATES
Online program dates: 6.30pm – 7.30pm (AEST), Monday – Friday, 9 – 20 June 2025
Applications close: 17 March 2025
Places: Four Australian and four Irish writers will be selected
Who should apply: Published fiction writers with an interest in international exchange
TESTIMONIALS
“I loved the collegiate atmosphere of the group and how dedicated everyone was to helping each other improve in a constructive way. Varuna and Irish Writers Centre teams are both clearly committed to the residency being productive and their willingness to take on feedback is commendable. I thought the timing and structure of the residency was perfect for my needs.”
— Brooke Dunnell, Irish Lamplight Residency, 2024 (Australia)
“The daily workshops were brilliant and propelled me into a rich day of writing. Being in a group of writers at a similar stage meant that we shared issues and challenges, so coming together was a connecting and inspiring experience. One of the best outcomes of the residency was the agreement to meet as a group long-term, which will help sustain a healthy writing life going forward. I gained an enormous amount from the two mentoring sessions, and over the two weeks of the residency, I was able to complete a story I had been working on for a while.”
— Helen Blackhurst, Irish Lamplight Residency, 2024 (Ireland)
Varuna is grateful to the Creative Australia International Engagement funding for support on this project.
For more information click here
