Applications are open for a unique $30,000 writing residency based at the University of Tasmania.
The Hedberg Writer-in-Residence program, now in its fifth year, allows an established Australian author to live and work in Tasmania for three months.
The successful applicant will receive a $20,000 living allowance, University-provided accommodation up to the value of $10,000 and access to an office and the library. They will also mentor students across the state and speak at public events at The Hedberg, the world-class home of Hobart’s creative arts.
“The Hedberg Writer-in-Residence program allows writers to focus on their work and to be inspired by the histories, landscapes and cultures of Tasmania,” Dr Robert Clarke, Senior Lecturer in English, said.
“Hobart is a creative place, home to many talented writers, and has been recognised as a UNESCO City of Literature.”
The residency’s previous recipients were:
- 2021: Tasmanian author Robbie Arnott, who used the residency to work on his Miles Franklin Award shortlisted novel Limberlost
- 2022: Four-time Miles Franklin Award shortlisted author Gail Jones, whose acclaimed novel One Another was written during her residency
- 2023: NSW Premier’s Literary Award for New Writing winner Michelle Cahill
- 2024: British Fantasy Award winner and Otherwise Fellow Eugen Bacon, who worked on new novel Crimson in Quietus (A Sauúti novel), acquired by Meerkat Press in the US
“Being the 2024 Hedberg Writer-in-Residence enhanced my visibility and afforded me so many opportunities,” Dr Bacon said.
“I gained more solicitations than ever to participate as a paid guest speaker to national and global literary events, as a chief judge for writerly and editing awards, to write and submit short stories to major and exclusive anthologies, as well as teaching craft opportunities”.
The residency is offered by the School of Humanities at the University of Tasmania, with support from the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund. It is open to established fiction or non-fiction writers, in all genres, who are resident in Australia.
Applications close on April 17. To apply, visit utas.edu.au/humanities/english/hedberg-writer-in-residence