LGBTQIA+ memoir & storytelling online program for writers 65+ years
Join Varuna and Queerstories for a two-week online writing program focused on memoir, the personal essay, and personal storytelling. Connect with other LGBTQIA+ writers while developing your writing skills in a welcoming, inclusive environment.
This program was generously supported by the NSW Government and is available to writers in New South Wales only. We are working towards creating further opportunities for writers across Australia.
The program will run over a two-week period beginning 18 July 2022.
Eligibility
This program is open to NSW-based LGBTQIA+ writers aged 65+, and LGBTQIA+ First Nations writers aged over 55.
Program
This two-week online residency includes:
Q&A sessions with LGBTQIA+ writers Benjamin Law, Krissy Kneen and Ed Ayres, hosted by Maeve Marsden.
An individual writing consultation with Varuna writing consultant Dr Carol Major.
An online platform with daily writing prompts, readings, discussion and feedback.
The opportunity to submit your story for consideration for Queerstories events.
A complimentary day pass to the 2022 Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival so the group can socialise together and be inspired at this key literary event.
Participants need to allow at least 1 hour at specific times every day for programmed sessions, with the expectation that you will spend at least three hours dedicated writing time each week. Participants will need a reliable internet connection, and a computer or mobile phone with a webcam and microphone.
If technology is a barrier, please contact rebecca@varuna.com.au to discuss your situation or concerns and we will support you to participate in this program.
Program dates: Monday 18 July – Friday 29 July 2022. The program for the fortnight is available here.
How to apply
Entry to this course is by application. Writers will be selected based on the creative potential of their work, commitment to craft, openness to collaborating with your peers, and the balance in the group.
To apply, please submit a brief expression of interest using this simple form. For program enquiries please contact amy@varuna.com.au.
Fees
It is free to submit an expression of interest application.
If selected, the cost of the program is $95. If you have a Healthcare card, the fee is $75. Please email us if you are facing financial hardship and require full fee subsidy.
Expressions of interest close 7 June 2022.
About Maeve
Maeve Marsden is a writer and theatremaker. She was a 2020 Phillip Parsons fellow at Belvoir Theatre, and has written, directed and performed in a number of critically acclaimed theatre productions, touring Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Maeve curates national storytelling project Queerstories, and her writing has appeared in The Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian Australia, Junkee and Archer Magazine, among others.
About Carol
Dr Carol Major has been a professional writer for over thirty years and works with writers across all narrative forms. Through her in-depth understanding of narrative voice and creative process, Carol draws out the writer’s vision, strengthening their authentic voice and matching it with the crafting tools needed to realise their project.
About Benjamin Law
Benjamin Law is an Australian writer and broadcaster. He’s the author of The Family Law (2010), Gaysia (2012), the Quarterly Essay Moral Panic 101 (2017) and editor of Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019).
Benjamin is also an AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter. He has a PhD in creative writing and cultural studies from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Every week, Benjamin co-hosts ABC Radio National’s weekly national pop culture show Stop Everything and interviews public figures for Good Weekend.
About Ed Ayres
Ed Ayres is a writer, musician and broadcaster. He was born on the White Cliffs of Dover and began playing music when he was six years old. He studied music in Manchester, Berlin and London, played professionally in the UK and Hong Kong and moved to Australia in 2003. Ed is the presenter of ABC Classic's Weekend Breakfast.Ed has written four books: Whole Notes, Cadence,; Danger Music, and Sonam and the Silence, a children's book about the importance of music.
Ed's books have been shortlisted for several prestigious awards, including the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Ed was born Emma and transitioned just before his fiftieth birthday. Better late than never.
About Krissy Kneen
Krissy Kneen is the award-winning author of memoir—Affection—and fiction: An Uncertain Grace, Steeplechase, Triptych, The Adventures of Holly White and the Incredible Sex Machine, Wintering, as well as the Thomas Shapcott Award-winning poetry collection Eating My Grandmother. She has written and directed broadcast documentaries for SBS and ABC Television.
