2022 First Nations Fellowships announced
Congratulations to the six recipients of our 2022 First Nations Fellowships. This prestigious program started in 2017, and Varuna acknowledges the support of The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund in its establishment.
The judging panel this year was made up of three First Nations writers: Anishinaabe writer from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, from Canada; Wiradjuri writer, poet and academic, Associate Professor Jeanine Leane; and Varuna’s First Nations Fellowship program consultant, Dr Peter Minter.
The six Fellowship recipients for 2022 are:
· Jenny Fraser for her narrative non-fiction manuscript, Jidda
· Kalem Murray for his crime fiction/modern fantasy/horror manuscript, Frayed Threads
· Brooke Scobie for her fantasy/speculative fiction manuscript, The Unwoven
· Aunty Kerry Bulloojeeno Archibald Moran for her narrative non-fiction manuscript, Our Mob: Stories from Silver City Aboriginal Reserve, Anaiwan Country
· Neika Lehman for their poetry manuscript, niyakara tabalti – dream travel
· Luke Patterson for his poetry manuscript, TEK
Varuna would also like to congratulate the following three applicants, who were highly commended by the judges:
· Darren Green for his poetry manuscript, Baloo Murri
· Sharlene Allsopp for her narrative non-fiction manuscript, Through a Glass, Darkly
· Samantha Faulkner for her fantasy/speculative fiction manuscript, Waru Island
Each fellowship includes a one-week residency at Varuna, as well as travel costs to and from Varuna. The fellowship week also includes an optional one-on-one mentoring session, and group reading sessions. In addition, writers will be offered the opportunity to have a discussion with Rachel Bin Salleh, Publisher at Magabala Books, in a culturally safe space, as well as an optional publishing appraisal from Magabala Books for any work that they complete as a result of this fellowship.
Applications for the 2023 program will close in November, 2022.