At MARION, our vision is to elevate not only our writers but the writing sector to achieve funding and recognition on par with other art disciplines. By offering top-tier professional development, along with 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 craft.
We recognise the invaluable contributions of our extended literary family across the region and its surrounds, including writing groups such as Us Mob Writers, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, That Poetry Thing, and many more. Together with Libraries ACT, Tertiary Institutions, Canberra Writers Festival, and the incredible network of booksellers essential to our community, these organisations and cultural hubs form a vibrant ecosystem 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.
MARION is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation with charitable status. Founded in 1995 as the ACT Writers Centre and rebranded in 2022, MARION has grown to become the leading organisation of writing-based culture in the ACT. 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, reflecting our national reach and impact.