W-I-R LEGACY
ACT WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM 2015-2021
This year marks the end of our much-valued ACT Writer-in-Residence Program.
Since its inception, this unique program has brought writers of note to the ACT to spend a month living at the Gorman Arts Centre, writing at a like-minded organisation, connecting with our national cultural institutions, and, importantly, engaging with the writers in the region.
With the help of seed funding from artsACT, the program began in 2015 as a collaboration between ACT Writers and the Museum of Australian Democracy. In 2017, and with the support of the Copyright Agency, ACT Writers collaborated with UNSW Canberra to continue the program, with this internationally recognised university providing a working space for the writer-in-residence as well as significant general support.
One of the main aims of the program has been to give writers the time and space to write; they have enjoyed the creative energy of the Gorman Arts Centre, as well as its proximity to vibrant parts of our city. Over the years, the writers-in-residence have also given a wide range of workshops, masterclasses, and public talks, which have been enjoyed by writers at all stages and the general public. Further, the writers have had the advantage of researching and writing in places such as the National Library of Australia and being inspired by exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia. Of course, they have also made use of our city’s relative quiet, the open spaces, and proximity to natural and man-made landscapes.
We take this opportunity to thank all the writers who have participated in the program (listed below). We also thank our wonderful funding partners, artsACT and the Copyright Agency, for funding the program, and our institutional collaborators the Museum of Australian Democracy and UNSW Canberra. We especially appreciate UNSW Canberra's sponsorship, which covered the cost of the Gorman Arts Centre accommodation. We also take this opportunity to thank Ainslie + Gorman Arts Centres for their hospitality.
While the ACT Writer-in-Residence Program is now complete, we are currently exploring ways we can build on the experience and deliver new initiatives and programs in the near future.
Watch this space!
ACT WRITERS-IN-RESIDENCE
2021 Peter Polites
2019 Angela Gardner
2018 Jane Gleeson-White
2017 Isobelle Carmody
2016 Sean Williams
2015 Sulari Gentill
(Please note: due to COVID-19, the program could not be delivered in 2020.)
