Writer in Residence Program

Now in its second year, the Writer in Residence program supports emerging and early-career writers to develop their writing.

Last year, we aimed to support a local writer in the development of their craft, with Jarrah Dundler, author of Hey Brother! and Kyogle local undertaking a week long residency.

This year’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 joining us for a number of events at the festival ahead of engaging in the Writer in Residence program.
Kyogle Writers Festival would like to thank 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.

Residence Recipient • Nadia Johansen

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.