from the editor's desk
Writers’ Development Program and Mid-Career Fellowship 2021-22
In partnership with the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre and with the support of the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund, Westerly Magazine is excited to announce the sixth year of our Writers’ Development Program and the second of our Mid-Career Fellowship!
Applications for both of these programs open on the first of October and will remain open until midnight on the 7th of November. Follow our social media and watch this space to stay up to date.
The Westerly Writers’ Development Program began in 2016, supporting five Western Australian writers with mentoring and publishing opportunities, with their work being published in Westerly 62.1. Every year we have been delighted and impressed by the standard of work produced through this program and we hope that the education and opportunities we provide will help these emerging writers launch their careers in the literary world.
This year, the Writers’ Development Program is offering three emerging Western Australian writers a $500 bursary, mentoring with a respected WA writer/editor to produce new work for publication in Westerly, and a three-day writing retreat at the KSP Writers’ Centre in Greenmount. Over the course of the mentorship, the emerging writers will make invaluable connections with other writers and industry professionals to help with ongoing support and professional development.
The Mid-Career Fellowship is a relatively new program for Westerly, beginning in 2020–21 with two Fellows: writer, educator, editor and emotional feminist Maddie Godfrey; and acclaimed author Annabel Smith. The Fellowship is an exciting opportunity for WA writers who have published at least one but no more than four full-length original works or collections. Each successful applicant will receive a $2000 bursary, as well as the opportunity for a discounted residency at the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre.
This Fellowship will see the writers produce original, high-quality works of prose or poetry to be published in Westerly, both in print and online. The two successful writers will be featured in Westerly 67.1 and Westerly 67.2 respectively. As part of their commitment to the Fellowship, each writer will be encouraged to engage with Westerly’s broader activities, including those connected to the Writers’ Development Program. In return, Westerly is committed to furthering the writers’ careers through featured publication and promotion. The Fellowship aims to strengthen the network of support amongst WA writers at this level.
We can’t wait to start working with this new round of talented emerging writers, and we are thrilled to be able to extend our support to mid-career writers in our thriving WA writing community!
Click here for more on how to apply for this fantastic opportunity.
