Irish Lamplight Online Fellowship
Connecting Australian and Irish writers, this two-week online fellowship is an opportunity for published fiction writers to enjoy the combined mentorship and support of Varuna and the Irish Writers Centre. Find inspiration, enjoy professional development opportunities, and build international connections.
Applications open: 1 April 2026
Applications close: 5pm AEST 30 April 2026
Online program dates: 6.30pm – 7.30pm AEST, Monday to Friday 15-26 June 2026
Places: Four Australian and four Irish writers will be selected
Who should apply: Published fiction writers with an interest in international exchange
Fees: There is an application fee of $25 for this program. Those experiencing financial hardship can have their fees waived via the Varuna Equity Fund.
This fee helps to cover the administrative costs of this program and pays our assessors for their time reading your work.
This two-week online fellowship includes:
An hour-long one-on-one conversation with Mary Anne Butler and Conor Kostick to talk about your current work.
Facilitated professional networking opportunities with your peers, including the opportunity to share work, talk about process, and receive feedback.
An online Q&A session with a best-selling Australian author (to be announced)
An online Q&A session with an award-winning Irish writer (to be announced)
The expectation is that you will spend at least three hours dedicated writing time each day (although this is flexible according to your own personal circumstances), and that you will be available for all evening sessions from 6.30pm-7.30pm AEST, Monday - Friday 15-26 June 2026.
Participants will need a reliable internet connection, and a computer or mobile phone with a webcam and microphone.
TESTIMONIALS
“Lamplight was a marvellous, intense, wonderful two-week experience. Mary Anne Butler was a gentle, respectful, expert guide through what is quite a difficult process: bringing together strangers, online, in different time zones, from different countries and regions. On the Irish side, Conor Kostick was equally supportive, helpful, knowledgeable.”
“The level of professional expertise was incredible, and also the writers too. Very incisive feedback and wonderful brains to be bouncing off for two weeks. A highlight of the course for me was Mary Anne Butler’s extensive feedback both in written form, and particularly during our long chat that followed. She has that midas touch when it comes to uncovering what a story/piece of fiction might be about, asking all the right questions and being kind (which is rare here!). The regularity of the morning online meetings really put shape to my day, which is something I’ve been lacking (as well as discipline) in my practice. It was wonderful.”
ABOUT MARY ANNE BUTLER
Multi-award-winning playwright Mary Anne Butler has spent two decades mastering the art of dialogue. Her plays have won the Victorian Prize for Literature, Victorian Premier’s Award for Drama, Shane and Cathryn Brennan Prize for Playwriting, an AWGIE and two NT Chief Minister’s Book of the Year Awards. Her teaching experience combines a Masters in Arts Education, a Masters in Creative Writing, a Diploma of Acting from VCA and a Dip Ed in English/Drama. She’s currently undertaking a PhD in Literature, writing a novel which investigates how we write hope into the realist fiction of the Anthropocene.
ABOUT CONOR KOSTICK
Conor Kostick is a commissioning editor and the author of a number of successful books. In 2009, he was presented with a Special Merit Award by the Reading Association of Ireland; in 2010 he was the Farmleigh Writer-in-Residence. Conor is often asked to judge literary competitions and in 2016 and 2019 was the president of the Irish jury for the EU Prize for Literature. Conor will be teaching this program from his home in Ireland.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications open 1 April 2026
Assessors will be looking at your writing experience, clarity of focus and objectives (how you will use your time), and the merit of your writing. They will also consider the balance of the group, with a view to ensuring the program has a collegiate atmosphere.
This program is only open to Australian writers who have a publication record, or to Irish writers via the Irish Writers Centre. Please note that the program has a focus on fiction writing.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
Varuna is grateful to the Creative Australia International Engagement funding for support on this project.
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS:
