New residency opportunity for emerging writer

Emerging writers from regional Australia are invited to apply for an exciting new two-week residency being offered at The Lock-Up, Newcastle, in the lead up to next year’s Newcastle Writers Festival.

The successful applicant will be given two weeks’ accommodation in a self-contained apartment at The Lock-Up, a contemporary inner-city arts space in the historic East End, as well as a $1,400 stipend from the Newcastle Writers Festival. The resident will also have the opportunity to participate in the festival, which last year attracted more than 5,500 people to the city. The residency is supported by The Lock-Up and the University of Newcastle.

Opportunities for regional writers are hard to come by and writing can be an isolating experience. The festival’s aim is to create a sense of community while promoting literature and the exchange of ideas. The residency is an extension of this and is open to regional writers Australia-wide.

"Not only does it offer the successful applicant some breathing space to write, it also gives them a great chance to engage with the community at the Newcastle Writers Festival.”

Writers who have not had a book commercially published and who are working towards a full-length work in any genre are invited to apply. Applications will be assessed by Newcastle Writers Festival Director Rosemarie Milsom, Keri Glastonbury (University of Newcastle) and Sam Twyford-Moore (Director, Emerging Writers Festival).

The residency period is from 22 March to 4 April, 2016*. Applicants must reside in a regional area, defined by state and federal departments as areas outside metropolitan centres. It excludes cities with populations of more than 100,000.

Submissions opened on Wednesday, July 1 and close on October 1, 2015. The successful applicant will be notified by November 30. Visit www.newcastlewritersfestival.org.au for conditions of entry and an application form. Enquiries can be emailed to admin@newcastlewritersfestival.org.au

* Please note that due to an administrative error this date was incorrectly listed in the printed version of intouch magazine as 22 April to 4 May, 2016