SUBMISSIONS HAVE NOW CLOSED

Thank you to all who applied for this years program and congratulations to our Hidden Nerve cohort for 2026!

A year-long online program exploring all facets of the art of writing prose led by some of Australia’s most prominent writers and arts practitioners.

“Don’t all writers have a hidden nerve, call it a secret chamber, something irreducibly theirs, which stirs their prose and makes it tick and turn this way or that, and identifies them, like a signature, though it lurks far deeper than their style, or their voice or other tell-tale antics?”
— André Aciman

KEY DATES

Deadline for expressions of interest: Wednesday 18 February
Program payment for successful applicants due: 25 February
First session commences: 6pm Wednesday 4 March

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

How to choose the perfect word?

How to make a sentence sit up and sing?

What do gestures tell a reader about a character and the predicament that they are in?

Through this online program comprising 8 x 90-minute monthly sessions, participants will learn from some of the most exciting Australian writers working today about the art of writing prose. The topics will include everything from word choice and how sentences work, to illuminating character and building dramatic tension through gesture, and more. 

HIDDEN NERVE 2026 will be delivered by a range of writers including prolific authors of significance as well as writers and thinkers with a unique perspective. HIDDEN NERVE is designed to be of most benefit to writers who are actively working on a prose project and are committed to developing their practice.

READING LIST

Those attending HIDDEN NERVE may wish to read the following texts, the first of which inspired the program’s design:

Please read below for the 2026 presenter information, program cost, schedule and important information.

This year, we’re delighted to welcome guest facilitator Beejay Silcox, who will join the Hidden Nerve cohort and lead an accompanying interview series on the MARION Journal, The Pulse Papers.

MARION offers 2 semi-subsidised places in all programs which provides a 70% discount of program price. No personal details need to be disclosed, just email Katy Mutton via ceo@marion.ink these are available on a first come first served basis.

2026 PRESENTERS

  • Cadance Bell

    BIO

  • Michael Brissenden

    BIO

  • Isobelle Carmody

    BIO

  • Rhett Davis

    BIO

  • Angie Faye Martin

    BIO

  • Omar Musa

    BIO

  • Alice Pung

    BIO

  • Hayley Scrivenor

    BIO

COST OF PROGRAM

MEMBER PROGRAM PASS: TERMS 1 + 2
$380 - for members of MARION. If you are accepted to the program but are not a member of MARION, you can sign up here to access the lower member rate.

GENERAL PROGRAM PASS: TERMS 1 + 2
$450 - for those who are not members of MARION

SINGLE TERM PASS: TERM 1 OR 2
Member price: $200
General price: $250

  • MARION offers 2 semi-subsidised places in all programs which provides a 70% discount of program price. No personal details need to be disclosed, just email Katy Mutton ceo@marion.ink. These are available on a first come, first served basis.

LOCATION
Online. This program will be delivered via Zoom.
The sessions will be recorded and made available for 1 week after the session.

Successful applicants will receive payment information by Wednesday 18 February. Payment needs to be made by 25 February to secure a spot in the program.

APPLY NOW

Schedule

SESSION

DATE

THEME

FACILITATOR

TERM 1

#1

6pm Wednesday 4 March

POINT OF VIEW

Hayley Scrivenor

#2

6pm Wednesday 8 April

on SENTENCES

Cadance Bell

#3

6pm Wednesday 6 May

THE ARCHITECTURE OF SUSPENSE

Michael Brissenden

#4

6pm Wednesday 10 June

THE ART OF SETTING

Angie Faye Martin

TERM 2

#5

6pm Wednesday 5 August

on NARRATION

Omar Musa

#6

6pm Wednesday 9 September

WHEN PLACE MOVES

Rhett Davis

#7

6pm Wednesday 7 October

CREATING CONVINCING CHARACTERS

Alice Pung

#8

6pm Wednesday 4 November

THE LIVING ARC

Isobelle Carmody

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW

  • All sessions will be held at 6pm to 7:30pm sharp.

  • The online platform will be Zoom.

  • The sessions will be recorded and made available for 1 week after the session.

  • The program is for writers of both fiction and nonfiction.

  • This is not a workshop scenario – the presenters will not be providing feedback on participants’ work. While there will be ample time for questions, the focus will be on hearing each author explain and explore an area of the prose-writing craft based on published work.

  • All sessions will be lightly facilitated by Beejay Silcox, and supported by MARION Program Coordinator Peter Searles.

  • A private (and hidden) Facebook group has been created to build community and aid sharing of knowledge for participants - for access details, please contact Peter on creative@marion.ink