MARION Board Calls for EOIs
Join a dedicated team championing writers, and strengthening the literary culture of our region.
In 2025, MARION is looking to attract up to three new Board members. Expressions of Interest are now open for application.
Becoming a board member is a powerful way to support the literary sector and to find community within it. The current Board is made up of volunteers who each bring their unique experience to the role of guiding the strategic direction and governance of MARION, an ACT government funded arts organisation.
ABOUT MARION
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 of 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.
We recognise the invaluable contributions of our extended literary family across the region and its surrounds, including writing groups such as Us Mob Writing, 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.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
In 2025, MARION is looking to attract two to three new Board members.
In addition to seeking new board members, MARION is also looking to create a pool of interested people from which we can draw in coming years.
Based on the skills, arts and identity mix of our current Board, we are particularly looking for members who may be:
from a culturally and linguistically diverse background;
First Nations;
under 30.
We are also interested in attracting members who:
have a legal background;
create work for children and young people;
create genre based work;
develop nonfiction and/or academic work;
have experience as a publisher;
have experience in non-profit fundraising.
While the positions of Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are currently filled, as the Board naturally turns over and further positions become available, the skills, arts and identity attributes of members we are seeking to attract will change. We therefore welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and with all kinds of lived experience.
In addition, we particularly encourage people with limited governance experience to apply if interested. Our work supporting women and gender-diverse people looking to join Boards through the Audrey Fagan Board Mentor Program has increased the current Board’s capacity to offer this kind of support to new members.
Please note: MARION board members are not eligible to have their work considered for our annual prizes during their active term. Those interested in joining the Board who have recent or upcoming publications they would like to enter into the ACT Literary Awards, can indicate this during the EOI process.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
The MARION Board meets 6-8 times a year. General meetings are an average 1.5-2 hours in length. We meet predominantly online with two in-person meetings a year.
Depending on a member's capacity, there is opportunity to participate in sub-committees and working groups of the Board and to support the organisation's programs in various ways.
FURTHER READING
Information about our current board can be found HERE
Our annual report can be found HERE
A copy of our constitution can be found HERE
If you would like to discuss the opportunity further with the MARION chair, Emma Batchelor please address an email to Emma at admin@marion.ink.
