NSW LITLINK VARUNA WRITING PROGRAM 2010 - APPLICATION GUIDELINES

CLOSING DATE

APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM MARCH 1 AND MUST BE POSTMARKED NO LATER THAN MARCH 31

THE DEADLINE FOR THE PICARO POETRY PUBLICATION ONLY HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 30.

APPLICATION FEES

$45 (including GST) per application

WHO CAN APPLY

Residents of regional NSW only may apply. If you are unsure if where you live is regarded as regional, please inquire: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NSW LITLINK VARUNA RESIDENCIES AND NSW LITLINK FULL MANUSCRIPT READINGS AND CONSULTATIONS

Writers will be considered for both NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies and NSWLitLink Full Manuscript Readings and Consultations. If you only wish to be considered for one of these programs, please indicate this on the application form.

If you are selected for a NSW LitLink Full Manuscript Reading and Consultation, we will ask you to send in as full a version of your manuscript as is presently readable.

SELECTION PROCESS AND ANNOUNCEMENT

Selection for NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies and NSW LitLink Full Manuscript Readings and Consultations will be made by the Varuna Creative Team.

The Varuna Creative Team is looking for projects of imaginative prose writing that we can imagine could be furthered through Varuna’s unique environment of community and conversation. In other words, if you’re engaging excitedly with the creative process, we’d like to know what you’re doing.

Announcements of the awards of NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies and NSW LitLink Full Manuscript Readings and Consultations will be made on the News and Diary page of the website Monday May 10.

WRITERS ARE ASKED TO SUBMIT:

• A completed application form (parts A & B)
• An application fee of $45 (including GST)
• up to 10,000 words of a work-in-progress
• a short description of the intentions and stage of development of the project
• a paragraph or two on the writer’s experience as a writer

PROGRAM FEES

These fees only apply if your application is successful and you attend the program.

If you are selected for a LitLink Varuna Residency:

• Please make sure you are able to attend the fortnight: August 23-September 5
  
• The resident's contribution is $275 (including GST) for two weeks
• Please note that there is no travel fund for participants in the NSW LitLink residencies. Travel expenses to and from Varuna are borne by the participant
• Writers are responsible for their own insurance costs

If you are selected for a LitLink Full Manuscript Reading and Consultation:

• The writer's contribution is $110 (including GST)

BYRON BAY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL/VARUNA LITLINK UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT AWARDS

The Varuna Creative Team is asking for as full a manuscript as you presently have. This is a development award, so a manuscript doesn’t have to be complete, but it does have to have a clear line of development to work with. Don’t send us manuscripts that have lost their way in the hope we can sort them out –there’s always next year!

Manuscripts may be fiction or non-fiction, must be in prose, and may be in any narrative genre of prose – young adult or junior fiction, travel writing, family memoir – and of course literary fiction and non-fiction – don’t assume we won’t be interested. We’re looking –always!– for exciting writing, but we have no preconceived idea of what exciting writing is. We read manuscripts to see what they can tell us about themselves, and our favourite state is one of interested surprise.

SELECTION PROCESS AND ANNOUNCEMENT

The Varuna Creative Team will create a shortlist of up to 10 submissions for the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival/Varuna LitLink Unpublished Manuscript Awards. The winners will be selected from the shortlist by the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival Team.

The shortlist will be announced on the News and Diary page of the Varuna website on Monday May 31, and the winners will be announced at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival. Winners will be notified before the Festival announcement.

WRITERS ARE ASKED TO SUBMIT:

• A completed application form (parts A & B)
• An application fee of $45 (including GST)
• as full a manuscript as you presently have (in hard copy)
• a brief description of where this project belongs in your life as a writer
• a paragraph or two on the writer’s experience as a writer

PROGRAM FEES

There are no program fees for the prizes: LitLink Varuna Residency (August 23-September 5) for first prize winner and LitLink Full Mansucript Reading and Consultation for the second and third prize winners.

BYRON BAY WRITERS’ FESTIVAL/VARUNA LITLINK PICARO POETRY PUBLICATION

Yes, this really is exciting! To be at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival with your own book of poems…We believe this is a unique program, and it’s made possible through the generous hardworking poetry lovers at Picaro Press –they will receive the biggest thanks on Byron Bay Writers Festival Poetry Night!

Poets may be published or unpublished. Published poets may previously have published up to two collections. Publications in magazines or newspapers – no problems! – though do acknowledge where the poems have previously appeared.

We are looking for a small personal anthology of your poems –or maybe there’s a long poem that has never yet found a home. It’s up to you –but we have a strict page limit. If you’ve had a collection published before, please do not include poems from that collection in your submission.

Please send us your small personal anthology of poems together with a brief statement about yourself as a poet.

This program has now been extended. For a full version of what the program offers see Byron Bay Writers Festival Picaro Poetry Competition.

SELECTION PROCESS AND ANNOUNCEMENT

The Varuna Creative Team will create a shortlist of 5 for the Picaro Poetry Publication. The winners will be selected by a committee of poets appointed by Varuna.

The shortlist of 5 will be announced on May 10 on the News & Diary section of the website.  Winner to be announced May 31.

WRITERS ARE ASKED TO SUBMIT:

• a completed application form
• an application fee of $45 (including GST)
• no more than 26 pages of poems (in hard copy)
• a brief statement about yourself as a poet

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF APPLICATIONS

All applications will be acknowledged by email.

SELECTION DECISION

The Selection Committee's decisions regarding the successful applicants is final. The Selection Committee does not enter into discussion about the process of the shortlist and does not offer individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Varuna has trialled various kinds of feedback in the past and found that the only way to ensure that feedback is constructive is to do this in a format that is rigorous and consultative. Varuna believes that general comments and partial feedback or advice can be detrimental to the writer and the writing process.

If you seek comprehensive and specific feedback on your work and would like to have an individual consultation with one of the Varuna Creative Team, you might consider taking a Reading, Review & Consultation.

CONDITIONS OF APPLICATION

• Applications must comply with application instructions.
• Submitted work must be the original work of the applicant.
• Applications must be postmarked no later than March 31.
• Application materials will not be returned under any circumstances and feedback will not be provided for unsuccessful applicants.
• All the application material will be destroyed responsibly once decisions have been finalised.
• Information contained on the application form will be retained for one year by Varuna.
• Though not recommended, more than one application can be made. A separate entry form, with application fee must accompany each application.
• Entries by fax, e-mail or on disk will not be accepted.
• Announcements of results will be made on the Varuna website – News & Diary section.
• Only Australian residents over the age of 18 may apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Application Form (parts A & B) will be available at the end of February.

Please read these instructions carefully.

Take these steps to complete your application form, in this order:

1. Varuna Application Form:

• Type all form fields in Part A.
• There are two buttons at the bottom of the form - 'Print this Form' & 'Submit':       
  -FIRST, click 'Print this Form' button - print out THREE (3) copies of Part A (the first copy is for your application form, the second copy is a cover sheet for your support material, the third copy is for your records).       
  -SECOND, click 'Submit' button to send your details to Varuna for office use. NB: this doesn't mean you have sent your application.
• Follow the link to Payment Page.
• Open Part B / payment page (PDF), print and complete by hand.
• Please double check that payment details are correct e.g. cheques are payable to the Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd.
• Please attach all cheques/money orders firmly to the entry form.
• Parts A + B = Application Form - please STAPLE these together.
• Keep second copy of Part A as a cover sheet for your support material (below).

2. Attach the following support material to the Part A cover sheet:

• A brief description of yourself as a writer and your accomplishments (max 1 page) – or as specified for relevant program section above.
• Please only use a PAPER CLIP to hold these together.

3.  Hard copy of your material, as specified by the particular program you are applying for.

• Submitted material must be typed and 1.5-spaced on single-sided A4 paper. Pages must be numbered and the title of the work should appear on each page.
• The author's name must not appear on any page of the work. Your name should appear on the application form only.

4. Post all the above to:

NSW LitLink
Varuna - The Writers' House
141 Cascade St
KATOOMBA NSW 2780

CONTINUE TO APPLICATION FORM (Parts A & B)

NSW LitLink Application Form (Part A) (online form)

From the bottom of Application Form (Part A) there is a link to the Payment Page where you can complete Application Form (Part B).