Save the Date
The Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival returns 31 October - 2 November 2025.
Applications close 12 December 2024.
First Nations writers are invited to apply for the opportunity to connect with Adivasi writers from India, first in residence at Varuna, then at a four-week residency at Sangam House in Bangalore.
Applications close 12 November 2024.
This program is presented in partnership with the Whitlam Institute with support from Western Sydney Creative, Western Sydney University’s arts and culture decadal strategy.
Applications now closed.
Six fellowships offered to writers with disability or who are D/deaf from NSW.
Do you sometimes struggle to prioritise your writing practice? Perhaps you’ve hit a block and you’re unsure how to progress your work with the tools you have, or maybe you’d simply like to learn some new techniques to take your writing to the next level.
Listen to Yuwaalaraay storyteller Nardi Simpson delivering the 2023 Mick Dark Talk for the Future, to celebrate the release of Nardi’s new book, The Belburd, and her upcoming appearances at Blue Mountains Writers' Festival 2024.
The winners of this year's Whitlam Institute's What Matters? Writing Competition have been announced. Varuna is proud to have been involved in selecting the winner of the Artistic Merit Award.
Announcing the inaugural First Peoples India-Australia Exchange set for November 2025, which involves an exchange between two Adivasi writers from India and two First Nations writers from Australia.
The recipients of the Shanghai Western Sydney Writing Exchange for 2024/2025 have been announced.
Congratulations to the 37 writers who have been awarded a Varuna Residential Fellowship for 2025, as well as those marked highly commended.
The nine recipients of the inaugural Roderick Centre Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers have been announced.
Tickets are already selling fast for the next Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival, which runs 1 - 3 November 2024 and features more than 80 writers, including Markus Zusak, Noni Hazlehurst, Liane Moriarty, Dr Karl, Gina Chick, Yumi Stynes, Pip Williams, Tony Birch, Shankari Chandran, Chris Hammer, Nardi Simpson, Sara M Saleh, Benjamin Stevenson, Alexis Wright, Michelle de Kretser and more.
We are delighted to announce the recipients of the 2024 First Nations Fellowship.
Congratulations to our WestWords-Varuna Emerging Writers’ Residency recipients; Ruth Larner, KT Major, Lucia Nguyễn and Danielle Osifo
Congratulations to Carol Major, Frances Olivia and Hoa Pham, the three Australia writers selected for Lamplight Online Residency - Shanghai.
Congratulations to Anna Hickey-Moody, Jennifer Martin and Patricia Pender for being awarded 2024 Ann Moyal Fellowships.
The recipients of the 2024 International Lamplight (Online) Residency - Ireland have been announced.
Congratulations to our 2024 Varuna Scribe Fellowship recipients, Anne So, Sarina Singh, Bianca Millroy and Alex Karaconji.
Congratulations to Scotland’s Cove Park Fellowship 2024 recipient Sean Wai Keung, who will take up residency at Varuna in October-November 2025 and appear at Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.
