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Applications for the 2025 Writer in Residence will open on Saturday 1 February 2025.
North Sydney Council offers writers a unique opportunity to pursue their inspiration in the tranquil and historic Don Bank Museum, a heritage building in a garden setting located in the heart of North Sydney CBD.
This program aims to support writers at all stages of their career and enhance the cultural enrichment and vitality of the North Sydney community.
North Sydney Council invites writers of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir and plays to apply for this wonderful opportunity to complete a creative project in the Don Bank Writer’s studio whilst contributing to the cultural life of the North Sydney community.
Contact Stanton Library
Address:Before you apply
Who can apply?
- This program is open to individuals or groups from Metropolitan Sydney.
- Writers at any stage of their career i.e emerging, mid-career and established writers are encouraged to apply.
- All types and genres of storytelling will be considered, including writers of fiction, non- fiction, poetry, children’s literature, memoir, script and screenwriting for stage and film.
- North Sydney Council encourages applications from local writers who are members of culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTQI+ communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
All applicants are encouraged to read the guidelines thoroughly before applying.
What is offered by the residency?
Council will support writers in their creative pursuits by providing a low-cost working space in the historic Don Bank Museum.
Don Bank Museum houses a studio that is provided to the chosen writer for the term of their residency. The studio offers a comfortable office setup with Wi-Fi, a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom as well as outdoor space and access to a veranda with leafy garden views.
The residency also offers networking opportunities with the local writing community and through arts and cultural initiatives.
What is required of the successful applicant?
The successful applicant will be required to contribute to Stanton Library’s schedule of public programs by delivering three workshops or activities that promote writing, conversation, and creative engagement.
Some suggestions include:
- A public presentation of their work at the end of their residency
- Writing or storytelling workshops and tutorials
- Author talks or readings at Stanton Library or a Council delivered cultural event
- Participation as a judge in Stanton Library’s writing competitions
The successful writer will be required to sign a lease agreement with Council for the duration of the residency and pay a $500 bond to be returned upon completion.
Application and selection process
Applicants are asked to submit:
- A summary (500 words or less) of your creative project and how a residency in the Don Bank Museum Writer’s Studio in North Sydney would benefit your writing practice.
- A proposal (250 words or less) of three community engagement activities or workshop ideas that you would be interested in facilitating as part of Stanton Library’s schedule of public programs.
- A selection of published or unpublished work; minimum 20 pages of fiction or non-fiction (including theatre or film scripts), or 6 poems.
- A single page biography outlining their writing experience and CV, with two referees included.
Proof of identity will be required from the successful applicant only.
Selection process
Council is committed to ensuring that the assessment of all applications is coordinated in a fair and transparent manner. The selection process will therefore be as follows:
- An officer from the Arts, Library and Events team will assess and shortlist eligible applications.
- Applications will be considered by a panel consisting of two members of the Arts, Library and Events team and one industry professional.
- A report from the panel with recommendations will be made for final endorsement.
Applicants must meet the selection criteria below. Unpublished work may be submitted and can include works in progress.
Assessment criteria
Council is interested in applications that illustrate how a residency might directly benefit the author’s writing, as well as enriching the North Sydney community.
Each application will be assessed and scored by the assessment panel according to the below criteria:
| Assessment Criteria | Score | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional benefit: Demonstrated benefit and impact of the residency for the applicant’s professional development. |
Out of 10 | 20 |
| Artistic merit: Based on examples of previous work and proposed project |
Out of 10 | 20 |
| Capacity: Achievability of the residency, ability to demonstrate planning, development and delivery of the project as links to an existing project or publisher. |
Out of 10 | 20 |
| Community benefit: How the project will benefit the Community and suitability of programs proposed (audience, subject, method of delivery etc). |
Out of 10 | 20 |
| Alignment: Alignment of proposed programs and writing project with Library and Historical Services Strategy outcomes (see page 6 of the Program Guidelines, linked below). |
Out of 10 | 20 |
| Total | Out of 50 | 100 |
Current Writer in Residence
Denise O’Hagan
We are delighted to announce the Don Bank Writer in Residence for 2024 is Denise O’Hagan.
Denise O’Hagan (MA) is a Sydney-based editor and poet, born and raised in Rome. With a background in academic book publishing in the UK and Australia, she offers editorial support and mentoring for independent authors through her own imprint, Black Quill Press, and has edited and published a memoir, a historical fiction and a poetry anthology.
She was poetry editor with The Blue Nib until 2020. Her poetry is internationally published. Among her awards are the Dalkey Poetry Prize (first prize), the International Proverse Poetry Prize (second prize), the Robert Graves Poetry Prize, the ACU Poetry Prize, and the WB Yeats Poetry Prize, Australia (commendations).
Her second poetry collection, Anamnesis (Recent Work Press 2022), which explores the role of memory in the world we create through language, was a finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Award (USA) and the Eyelands Book Awards (Greece) and shortlisted in the Rubery Book Award (UK). She is currently working on a third collection.
She continues to be inspired by the words of American poet and essayist, Ocean Vuong: ‘The work of the writer is to not so much nail anything down but to make space for the endeavour of curiosity, to widen the theatre of wonder.’
Denise has also just won the 2024 NSW Poetry Prize as the first prize winner. You can read her poem by clicking here.
We look forward to working with Denise on community programs in the year ahead and wish her the best of luck in completing her next poetry work!
Testimonials
The Don Banks Residency was a magical experience. I can still remember the thrill of being given the keys to that wonderful historic old house and I will have such happy memories of my days spent at the desk there, or on the porch, feeling both in the heart of things, and yet apart. It was a place of such sanctuary and wonderful tenebrous atmosphere.
— Michelle Hamadache (Mascara Review), 2020/2021 Writer in Residence
The Don Bank Museum is a surprising oasis. I loved its old-world character, tucked away in the hum of North Sydney. I started the residency not too long after returning to writing after a break of a few years. Beyond just the physical space of the museum (as important as such reflective spaces are for a writer), I found the residency to be a wonderful re-affirmation of my writerly self as well as a writer within a community. I feel grateful to have been able to be a part of that, as well as for the many poems that came during this time.
— Debbie Lim (Mascara Review), 2020/2021 Writer in Residence