Young Writer in Residence at Robert Lord Writers Cottage

Posted: Friday May 19, 2023

Opportunity - New Zealand Young Writers Festival 2023

Click here for the Big Idea Advertisement: Applications are open for Young Writer in Residence at Robert Lord Writers Cottage | The Big Idea

Are you a passionate, committed young writer hungry for an opportunity to dedicate time to your writing practice?

The Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust – proud producers of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival (Thursday 21–Sunday 24 September 2023) – and the Robert Lord Writers Cottage Trust enthusiastically invite you to apply for a four-week residency (27 August–25 September 2023) in the Robert Lord Writers Cottage, Ōtepoti/Dunedin, to work on a writing project and participate in the festival.

The residency is open to New Zealand young writers aged 15–35. In addition to working on a literary project, the writer will also present one event (or more!) within the 2023 New Zealand Young Writers Festival (NZYWF). The residency must be completed in person in Dunedin.

The NZYWF is four days of free, fun literary-focused events held annually in Ōtepoti/Dunedin. We welcome young writers of all stripes to celebrate all forms of wordsmithing, including (but not limited to): slam poetry, poetry, playwriting, songwriting, short fiction, novels, zines, screenwriting, journalism, blogging, critical content creation, podcasts, review writing, and more.

A $3,600 stipend ($900 per week), travel costs to and from Dunedin, power and internet are provided in addition to accommodation at the fully furnished Cottage.

Accessibility note: the Robert Lord Writers Cottage (RLWC) is a heritage building and has physical accessibility constraints (narrow gate and doorways; steps at the rear). If you wish to discuss these in more detail, please contact RLWC Trust Chair Nonnita Rees at nonnita.rees@gmail.com.

Ōtepoti/Dunedin is a UNESCO City of Literature and has a welcoming creative community that supports writers and writing. This year’s festival, our ninth, will build on Dunedin Fringe’s open access kaupapa and efforts to foster a warm, inclusive and accessible environment that uplifts and supports the development of young writers.

Interested? To apply, please send the following to look@youngwritersfest.nz:

• A short proposal (max. 300 words) detailing what you would hope to achieve during the residency and how the residency would assist your development as a writer;
• A short description (max. 200 words, including indicative budget) outlining the event(s) you’d like to present at the festival. Your event could be a reading of your work developed during the residency, or existing work; a workshop; a performance; or something else entirely! For ideas, see our 2022 festival programme linked here (note: to meet our promotional deadlines, your proposed event(s) will need to be reviewed against the festival budget and confirmed before the residency begins);
• A brief curriculum vitae and/or bio;
• Up to one page of sample writing and/or links to your work.

Deadline to apply is Sunday 11 June 2023. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to reach out to Ruth Harvey, Co-Director of the Dunedin Fringe Arts Trust, at ruth@dunedinfringe.nz.

This residency has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Robert Lord Writers Cottage Trust and Creative New Zealand.