The 2019 Arts NT Varuna Residential Fellowships for NT writers and illustrators have been awarded to Sam Carmody, Mhairi Duncan, Gretel Bull and Biddy O’Loughlin. 

Now in its third year, the Varuna Residential Fellowships supported by the Northern Territory Government provides support to two Top End and two Central Desert based writers and illustrators developing new works.   

The 2019 Arts NT Varuna Residential Fellowship recipients’ projects include: 

• Stark by Sam Carmody (Darwin) - his second fiction novel following his debut novel The Windy Season, Stark is about the threads that connect a history of violence, and the secrets that refuse to be buried.
• The Trouble with Hopscotch by Mhairi Duncan (Darwin) -  a series of 15 interlinking short stories that delve into the private struggles of everyday life of those living in a small community.
• Interiority – a volume of poetry by Gretel Bull (Alice Springs) - a collection of poems that journey into the psyche of the poet and her encounters with the history, culture and landscape of Central Australia, amidst the ongoing throes of colonisation.
• Funny Rabbit by Biddy O’Loughlin (Alice Springs) - a film script and web series set between Alice Springs and Adelaide about a sad rabbit that becomes a stand-up comedian.

The fellowships include a two-week residency at Varuna, The National Writers’ House, in the Blue Mountains of NSW, providing uninterrupted time to write in the company of fellow writers, and access to one on one support, national consultants, networks and resources. 

Residencies are to be undertaken between July and December 2019.

For more information about Arts Grants, visit https://nt.gov.au/leisure/arts-culture-heritage/arts-funding-and-grants

For more information on Varuna, The National Writers’ House visit www.varuna.com.au/

Quote from Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture, Director of Arts NT Angela Hill

“Congratulations to our NT writers, I encourage you all to maximise this national professional development opportunity and the residency at Varuna provides the inspiration and environment to develop your literary works.”

Quote from Varuna, The National Writers’ House Amy Sambrooke:

“We are delighted to be welcoming four great NT writers to further develop their creative works at Varuna in 2019, thanks to the generous support of the Northern Territory Government.

“We recognise that the NT has such a vibrant community of writers and creatives, and it’s really exciting that the four recipients are working on such compelling and valuable projects across poetry, film, short stories and literary fiction.”

Media Contact

Department of Tourism, Sport and Culture 0447 130 495
Varuna Creative Director Amy Sambrooke (02) 4782 5674