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An image of a large yellow house in a garden. The words THE WRITERS SPACE appear in a lower case white font in the top right corner of the image. Behind these words is an orange rectangle.

New Fellowship Initiative For NSW Writers With Disability

12 fellowships for writers with disability are being offered through a new partnership between Accessible Arts and Varuna, the National Writers’ House.

As part of Arts Restart funding from the NSW Government, Varuna has teamed up with Accessible Arts to deliver the new residency program for NSW writers who may have previously experienced barriers to developing their skills.

The Writer’s Space fellowships offer a two-week program of creative development to 12 writers with disability or who are d/Deaf. Six writers will stay in residency at Varuna in Katoomba and another six writers will participate in an online residency. Applicants will be able to select their preference. The residencies will run from 6 September to 20 September 2021.

The residency will include two special small group Q&A sessions, one with writer, speaker and disability activist Carly Findlay OAM, the other with best-selling writer Tara Moss.  As part of the fellowship package, writers will also receive funds to support mentorships and professional development activities in the lead up to their residencies.

A woman with dark pulled back hair is wearing a dark blue dress and sitting in a red chair. Her hands are crossed on top of a walking stick which stands in front of her.

Tara Moss

A woman with mid length curly dark hair is standing in front of a table with hands clasped on the table. She is wearing a floral top over a pink shirt.

Carly Finlay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebecca Goosen, Strategic Initiatives and Development Officer at Varuna: “2020 offered an opportunity to explore new ways of delivering our programs.  We’ve had so much success creating online writing communities, working with writers who otherwise might have been prevented from joining us in person.”

“This is the first time Varuna is offering a program of in-person and online residencies in parallel, enabling 12 writers to network during their residency rather than six. Vitally, it also means that writers with disability or who are d/Deaf will be able to choose the mode of attendance, giving writers the flexibility they need. We have been working closely with Accessible Arts to ensure we create a truly accessible program.”

Liz Martin, Accessible Arts Arts Development & Training Manager: “Many arts practitioners with disability don’t get equitable access to a range of creative and career opportunities, so we’re thrilled to be working with Varuna on this initiative. It’s great that NSW writers with disability will get to work with a prestigious national organisation such as Varuna to develop their craft and expand their professional networks.”

If you identify as a writer with disability, or as a writer who is d/Deaf, Varuna encourages you to apply for a fellowship. Applications close at midnight on 26 March 2021.

APPLY NOW: https://www.varuna.com.au/fellowships/2021/1/28/writersspacefellowships-rbewd

The Writer’s Space program has been made possible through funding from the NSW Government’s Arts Restart Strategic Initiative. More information about Varuna’s other programs can be found at www.varuna.com.au.

ENDS

Image Description: An image of a large yellow house in a garden. The words THE WRITERS SPACE appear in a lower case white font in the top right corner of the image. Behind these words is an orange rectangle.