Varuna - The Writers House - The Longlines Program

The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Program has been developed to create equality of opportunity and pathways to publication and performance for writers living away from the arts infrastructure concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The program is targeted specifically at writers from remote, regional areas of Australia and Indigenous writers.

The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program provides professional development opportunities, professional networking opportunities, genuine pathways to publication or performance, and an expanding sense of community for regional writers across Australia.

Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program is a truly national program that celebrates and protects the integrity of regional writing within a regional context. It provides flexible options of participation that have been developed to meet the needs of individuals and States and Territories in cooperation with the Writers' Centres. For many writers this program will provide the pathway to a career in writing.

All writers committed to the development of a major work or body of work are encouraged to apply for Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program. The experience of 2006 and 2007 has alerted us to the exciting numbers of writers engaged with viable projects throughout Australia, and we're eager to discover many more!

All writers living anywhere in the less populous states (Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania), the territories (Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory) and in the regional areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are eligible to apply for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program.If you are unsure as to whether your location is regarded as "regional", please inquire.

Writers living in the regional areas of NSW are ALSO eligible to apply for the NSW LitLink Program.

Please note: If you are a regional NSW writer, you only need to apply once. Your application will automatically be considered under both the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and the NSW LitLink programs.

Applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program or the NSW LitLink program need to be Australian citizens or permanently resident in Australia, and be 18 years or older.

Successful applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program and the NSW LitLink program will be announced on the NEWS AND DIARY page of the website on THURSDAY JUNE 5.

Please note: Writers who have previously been awarded a place on the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program are eligible to apply again in 2008.

THE PROGRAM

There are 35 places available through the LongLines program, 20 residential and 15 non-residential.

A major feature of the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program is the consultation program that takes Creative Director Peter Bishop around Australia February-May each year. The consultation program is carried out in partnership with each state or territory Writers' Centre. Writers should contact their Writers' Centre from November 2008 to find out details of the LongLines consultation program for 2009.

Peter Bishop also travels around the Writers' Centres of NSW each year, and writers should contact their Writers' Centre for details of NSW LitLink consultations in 2008 from March 30.

[Varuna is the administrator for NSW LitLink, the association of NSW Writers' Centres.]

Through 2007, Varuna has established major new partnerships in the LongLines Program. These new partners are:

Playlab (Drama)
The Australian Poetry Centre (Poetry)
Penguin Group Australia (Prose)

These are six-night residential workshops at Varuna. There are three workshops:
PROSE     -August 18-24
POETRY   -August 25-31
DRAMA     -September 22-28

In general, the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Varuna Workshops aim to:

Please note that there is no travel fund for participants in the Poetry and Prose workshops - travel expenses to and from Varuna are borne by the participant. In the past many writers have successfully applied to their State and Territory Arts Board to cover these costs and Varuna is happy to provide a letter of support on request.

There is a limited travel fund for the Drama/Playwriting Workshop, which has been provided by QLD Arts through our partner PlayLab.

The Playlab LongLines Drama Workshop, September 22-28, offers playwrights the opportunity to work at Varuna with 2 other playwrights and 2 - 3 dramaturgs. In 2007, this was an extraordinary week, with one playwright redrafting her play four times, the completed play being short-listed immediately for the Queensland Premier's Drama Awards. An extraordinary opportunity for playwrights!

Australian Poetry Centre LongLines Workshop is from August 25-31. The four poets selected for the Workshop will also be the four poets published in the 2008 New Poets Program. This is a new version of the famous Five Islands Press New Poets Program, and it is available exclusively to LongLines poets.

And for prose writers there is the Penguin/Varuna Scholarship. Each year Creative Director Peter Bishop will select up to 15 manuscripts from LongLines writers to present to Penguin as a shortlist for the Scholarship.

Penguin will provide two readers to read each of the 15 manuscripts. The Scholarship provides $5000 and 20 hours editorial guidance from a senior Penguin editor. There is no application process for the Scholarship. The shortlist is selected from manuscripts that are considered at a stage and quality to deserve the attention of a publisher. The shortlist will generally be selected from manuscripts that have been developed through a LongLines Varuna Residency or Workshop, through NSW LitLink Residencies or through the LongLines Non-Residential Reading and Consultation programs.

The shortlist will be submitted to Penguin 30th November each year, with the Scholarship winner being announced late March on the News & Diary section of the Varuna website.

Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES VARUNA RESIDENCIES

One writer from each State and Territory will be selected to receive a two-week LongLines Varuna residency. The residencies are available to writers in all genres of prose, poetry and drama. LongLines Varuna residencies include the opportunity to discuss the development of the work with Creative Director Peter Bishop or a suitable writing professional. Residencies may be taken October 2008-May 2009

LongLines Varuna Residencies provide writers across Australia with valuable time and space to develop the selected work, and equally importantly the opportunity to live and work within a unique community of writers.

LongLines Varuna Residencies are from Monday afternoon, any time after 1pm, with departure on Monday morning (by 10am).

Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES NON-RESIDENTIAL READINGS AND CONSULTATIONS

The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Non-Residential Readings and Consultations program is a development program that provides a close reading of the whole work (or as much as the writer has written) followed by a consultation with one of Varuna's team of experienced manuscript consultants. The consultation includes advice for the further placing of the work (eg: apply for the HarperCollins Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development, apply again for Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program with the newly developed work).

Participants are selected through the Macquarie Group Foundation Longlines application process. If your needs are best met by the LongLines Non-Residential Readings and Consultations program please specify this on your application.

The writer's contribution for the Reading and Consultation program is $65 (including GST).

NSW LITLINK VARUNA RESIDENCIES

10 NSW Regional writers are selected for the NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies, which take place over the weeks of 28th July to 3rd August and 8th September to 14th September.

NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies provide writers across Australia with valuable time and space to develop the selected work, and equally importantly the opportunity to live and work within a unique community of writers.

NSW LitLink Varuna residencies are from Monday afternoon, any time after 1pm, with departure on Sunday morning, by 10am.

The resident's contribution is $100 (including GST).

Please note that there is no travel fund for participants in the NSW LitLink residencies. Travel expenses to and from Varuna are borne by the participant.

SELECTION PROCESS

Selections for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and NSW LitLink programs are made by a committee of three - the Creative Director plus two members of Varuna Alumni with LongLines connections.

All decisions made will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Successful applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and NSW LitLink programs will be announced on the NEWS AND DIARY page of the website on THURSDAY JUNE 5, 2008.

Applications will be accepted from 1 April and must be postmarked no later than 30 April.

A completed Application Form and Application Fee of $25 must accompany the application.

For writers from regional NSW, an application for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program will also be an application for the NSW LitLink program.

Writers are asked to submit 9000-14000 words from their current project (or 20 poems, or a complete draft of a play) plus a brief description of themselves as writers and their own thoughts on the project's needs and difficulties.

Varuna Writers' Retreat and Literary Centre is located in the heart of the Blue Mountains and is owned and managed by the Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd. ABN: 12 003 806 371. This site is copyright Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd.



						Varuna - The Writers' House The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Program and the NSW LitLink Program 2008

				The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Program has been developed to create equality of opportunity and pathways to publication and performance for writers living away from the arts infrastructure concentrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The program is targeted specifically at writers from remote, regional areas of Australia and Indigenous writers. The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program provides professional development opportunities, professional networking opportunities, genuine pathways to publication or performance, and an expanding sense of community for regional writers across Australia. Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program is a truly national program that celebrates and protects the integrity of regional writing within a regional context. It provides flexible options of participation that have been developed to meet the needs of individuals and States and Territories in cooperation with the Writers' Centres. For many writers this program will provide the pathway to a career in writing. All writers committed to the development of a major work or body of work are encouraged to apply for Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program. The experience of 2006 and 2007 has alerted us to the exciting numbers of writers engaged with viable projects throughout Australia, and we're eager to discover many more! WHO IS ELIGIBLE? All writers living anywhere in the less populous states (Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania), the territories (Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory) and in the regional areas of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria are eligible to apply for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program.If you are unsure as to whether your location is regarded as "regional", please inquire. Writers living in the regional areas of NSW are ALSO eligible to apply for the NSW LitLink Program. Please note: If you are a regional NSW writer, you only need to apply once. Your application will automatically be considered under both the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and the NSW LitLink programs. Applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program or the NSW LitLink program need to be Australian citizens or permanently resident in Australia, and be 18 years or older. Successful applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program and the NSW LitLink program will be announced on the NEWS AND DIARY page of the website on THURSDAY JUNE 5. Please note: Writers who have previously been awarded a place on the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program are eligible to apply again in 2008. THE PROGRAM There are 35 places available through the LongLines program, 20 residential and 15 non-residential. Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES VARUNA WORKSHOPS (Poetry, Drama, Prose) Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES VARUNA RESIDENCIES (one per state/territory) Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES NON-RESIDENTIAL READINGS & CONSULTATIONS (15 places across all genres) NSW LITLINK VARUNA RESIDENCIES A major feature of the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program is the consultation program that takes Creative Director Peter Bishop around Australia February-May each year. The consultation program is carried out in partnership with each state or territory Writers' Centre. Writers should contact their Writers' Centre from November 2008 to find out details of the LongLines consultation program for 2009. Peter Bishop also travels around the Writers' Centres of NSW each year, and writers should contact their Writers' Centre for details of NSW LitLink consultations in 2008 from March 30. [Varuna is the administrator for NSW LitLink, the association of NSW Writers' Centres.] Through 2007, Varuna has established major new partnerships in the LongLines Program. These new partners are: Playlab (Drama) The Australian Poetry Centre (Poetry) Penguin Group Australia (Prose) Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES VARUNA WORKSHOPS These are six-night residential workshops at Varuna. There are three workshops: PROSE -August 18-24 POETRY -August 25-31 DRAMA -September 22-28 In general, the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Varuna Workshops aim to: Increase awareness of the possibilities for structural development of a writer's project Develop the writers' confidence in themselves as writers Expand the writer's sense of belonging in a community of writers Provide authoritative experience and professional information as well as professional contacts on the publishing or performance industries The participant's contribution is $275 (includes GST). Please note that there is no travel fund for participants in the Poetry and Prose workshops - travel expenses to and from Varuna are borne by the participant. In the past many writers have successfully applied to their State and Territory Arts Board to cover these costs and Varuna is happy to provide a letter of support on request. There is a limited travel fund for the Drama/Playwriting Workshop, which has been provided by QLD Arts through our partner PlayLab. The Playlab LongLines Drama Workshop, September 22-28, offers playwrights the opportunity to work at Varuna with 2 other playwrights and 2 - 3 dramaturgs. In 2007, this was an extraordinary week, with one playwright redrafting her play four times, the completed play being short-listed immediately for the Queensland Premier's Drama Awards. An extraordinary opportunity for playwrights! Australian Poetry Centre LongLines Workshop is from August 25-31. The four poets selected for the Workshop will also be the four poets published in the 2008 New Poets Program. This is a new version of the famous Five Islands Press New Poets Program, and it is available exclusively to LongLines poets. And for prose writers there is the Penguin/Varuna Scholarship. Each year Creative Director Peter Bishop will select up to 15 manuscripts from LongLines writers to present to Penguin as a shortlist for the Scholarship. Penguin will provide two readers to read each of the 15 manuscripts. The Scholarship provides $5000 and 20 hours editorial guidance from a senior Penguin editor. There is no application process for the Scholarship. The shortlist is selected from manuscripts that are considered at a stage and quality to deserve the attention of a publisher. The shortlist will generally be selected from manuscripts that have been developed through a LongLines Varuna Residency or Workshop, through NSW LitLink Residencies or through the LongLines Non-Residential Reading and Consultation programs. The shortlist will be submitted to Penguin 30th November each year, with the Scholarship winner being announced late March on the News & Diary section of the Varuna website. Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES VARUNA RESIDENCIES One writer from each State and Territory will be selected to receive a two-week LongLines Varuna residency. The residencies are available to writers in all genres of prose, poetry and drama. LongLines Varuna residencies include the opportunity to discuss the development of the work with Creative Director Peter Bishop or a suitable writing professional. Residencies may be taken October 2008-May 2009 LongLines Varuna Residencies provide writers across Australia with valuable time and space to develop the selected work, and equally importantly the opportunity to live and work within a unique community of writers. LongLines Varuna Residencies are from Monday afternoon, any time after 1pm, with departure on Monday morning (by 10am). The resident's contribution is $200 (includes GST). There is a travel fund for interstate participants - conditions apply. Macquarie Group Foundation LONGLINES NON-RESIDENTIAL READINGS AND CONSULTATIONS The Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines Non-Residential Readings and Consultations program is a development program that provides a close reading of the whole work (or as much as the writer has written) followed by a consultation with one of Varuna's team of experienced manuscript consultants. The consultation includes advice for the further placing of the work (eg: apply for the HarperCollins Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development, apply again for Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program with the newly developed work). Participants are selected through the Macquarie Group Foundation Longlines application process. If your needs are best met by the LongLines Non-Residential Readings and Consultations program please specify this on your application. Up to 15 non-residential readings and consultations will be awarded each year. The writer's contribution for the Reading and Consultation program is $65 (including GST). NSW LITLINK VARUNA RESIDENCIES 10 NSW Regional writers are selected for the NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies, which take place over the weeks of 28th July to 3rd August and 8th September to 14th September. NSW LitLink Varuna Residencies provide writers across Australia with valuable time and space to develop the selected work, and equally importantly the opportunity to live and work within a unique community of writers. NSW LitLink Varuna residencies are from Monday afternoon, any time after 1pm, with departure on Sunday morning, by 10am. The resident's contribution is $100 (including GST). Please note that there is no travel fund for participants in the NSW LitLink residencies. Travel expenses to and from Varuna are borne by the participant. SELECTION PROCESS Selections for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and NSW LitLink programs are made by a committee of three - the Creative Director plus two members of Varuna Alumni with LongLines connections. All decisions made will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Successful applicants for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines and NSW LitLink programs will be announced on the NEWS AND DIARY page of the website on THURSDAY JUNE 5, 2008. HOW TO APPLY Applications will be accepted from 1 April and must be postmarked no later than 30 April. A completed Application Form and Application Fee of $25 must accompany the application. For writers from regional NSW, an application for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines program will also be an application for the NSW LitLink program. Writers are asked to submit 9000-14000 words from their current project (or 20 poems, or a complete draft of a play) plus a brief description of themselves as writers and their own thoughts on the project's needs and difficulties. Please read the Varuna Guidelines for Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines & NSW LitLink programs before completing the Application Form. NB: Please use the 2008 Application form (Parts A & B) specifically for the Macquarie Group Foundation LongLines & NSW LitLink programs, with link from the Guidelines. Click here to view the Guidelines. CONTACTING THE WRITERS' HOUSE 141 Cascade St, Katoomba, NSW 2780, Australia Telephone: (02) 4782 5674 - International callers: +61 2 47 82 5674 Fax: (02) 4782 6220 - International faxes: +61 2 47 82 6220 Email: varuna@varuna.com.au - click here to email Varuna [Home][What we Offer to Writers][Supporting Varuna][News and Diary][Links for Writers] [Staying at Varuna][Varuna Alumni][Site Guide][Contacting Varuna] Varuna Writers' Retreat and Literary Centre is located in the heart of the Blue Mountains and is owned and managed by the Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd. ABN: 12 003 806 371. This site is copyright Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd. Site most recently updated 6 March, 2008. Acknowledgements: Site by Anderson Web Design Woodcuts by Irene Coates