About Us
MARION is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation with charitable status, based in Kamberri (Canberra). Founded in 1995 as the ACT Writers Centre and renamed in 2022, MARION has grown to become the leading organisation for writing-based culture in the ACT and surrounds. We champion the professional rights and interests of writers—both locally and nationally—offering strong advocacy and support.
Our member base is diverse, spanning across Australia and reflecting our national reach and impact. We recognise that First Nations cultures have been telling, holding, and sharing stories on this Country for tens of thousands of years. Their enduring presence and cultural leadership continue to guide our understanding of creativity, connection, and community. MARION works on unceded Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country, and we honour the storytellers who have come before and those who continue this vital tradition today.
While MARION is not named after a specific individual, the name warmly acknowledges our late patron, acclaimed writer Marion Halligan AM, and Marian Eldridge—both founding members of the influential Seven Writers group, which helped shape Canberra’s literary identity. Alongside Dorothy Johnston, Margaret Barbalet, Sara Dowse, Suzanne Edgar, and Dorothy Horsfield, these writers contributed significantly to the region’s creative and literary life. MARION’s visual identity also pays tribute to them, with a symbolic graphic element composed of seven parts. The name further nods to Marion Mahony Griffin, architect and co-designer of the capital, whose contributions were largely under-recognised during her lifetime.
These figures—alongside many others—stand within a much older and ongoing continuum of storytelling on this land. The name MARION reflects our relationship with this place and its layered histories, and aligns with the tradition of uniquely memorable arts organisations in Canberra.
More than a name, MARION represents our commitment to:
Mentorship of emerging and established writers
Advocacy for writers’ rights and recognition
Representation of diverse voices and experiences
Imagination as a force for change and creativity
Outreach to communities across the region and beyond
Nurture of literary culture, connection, and care
At MARION, our vision is to elevate not only writers, but the writing sector itself, to achieve the funding, recognition, and respect afforded to other art forms. Through top-tier professional development, networking, and collaborative opportunities, we are shaping an environment where writers can establish and sustain thriving creative practices. Through our initiatives, resources, leadership, and facilitation of meaningful connections, MARION plays a pivotal role in uplifting writers and their art.
We proudly recognise the contributions of our extended literary family across the region and surrounds, including writing organisations such as Us Mob Writing, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, That Poetry Thing, and many more. Alongside Libraries ACT, tertiary institutions, the Canberra Writers Festival, and a vital network of independent booksellers, these groups form a vibrant and interconnected literary ecosystem — one that makes our region a truly unique place to create and connect. MARION is generously supported by our members and the ACT Government through artsACT.
MARION acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Kamberri/Canberra region and recognise their enduring connection to the Culture, Community, and Country where we live, learn, and create. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present, and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the First Nations of this land. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded—this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.