Roderick Centre Online Fellowship for Regional and Remote Writers
Forge connections with other regional writers, and receive mentorship and professional development in this two-week online fellowship, presented in partnership with the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC).
Applications close: 5pm (AEDT) 10 March 2026
Online fellowship dates: 24 August - 4 September 2026, 12pm - 1pm (AEST), on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Places: Six writers will be selected
Who should apply: Writers living in regional and remote parts of Australia, specifically living in the government-designated ‘Category 3 Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’. Category 3 postcodes are listed here.
This excludes writers living in the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra and Geelong.
Fees: There is a $25 application fee for this fellowship. The $25 application fee covers the expenses of paying for the assessors. However, if this is unaffordable for you, you can select to have this fee waived.
ABOUT THIS FELLOWSHIP
The Roderick Centre Online Fellowship exists to foster connection and offer progressional development for writers living in regional and remote areas. Facilitated by Mary Anne Butler across two weeks, writers will share their work, learn from experienced authors with a connection to regional Australia, and benefit from mentorship and peer feedback.
Online fellowship participants need to be available between 12pm - 1pm AEST, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays across the two-week fellowship.
Participants should spend at least three hours dedicated to writing and reading each day.
The online fellowship program will include:
Two one-hour online sessions (one-on-one) with Varuna writing consultant, Mary Anne Butler
Two online Q&A sessions, with authors Jock Serong and Inga Simpson
Facilitated professional networking opportunities, including the opportunity to share work, talk about process, and receive feedback
Newly established in 2024 thanks to a generous bequest from the late Colin and Margaret Roderick, the Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing (RCALC) aims to foster the reading and writing of Australian literature in all its forms, and to encourage the study of Australian literature and literary cultures.
This program is for writers living in regional and remote parts of Australia, specifically living in the government-designated ‘Category 3 Regional Centres and Other Regional Areas’. Category 3 postcodes are listed here.
This excludes writers living in the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle/Lake Macquarie, Wollongong/Illawarra and Geelong.
HOW TO APPLY
Assessors will be looking at your writing experience, clarity of focus and objectives (how you will use your time), and the artistic merit of your writing, which may refer to:
- sound structure
- compelling themes
- a distinctive and engaging voice
- vivid imagery
- strongly written characters
- social and cultural relevance
- the work’s capacity to connect with readers.
Assessors will also consider the balance of the group, with a view to ensuring the program has a collegiate atmosphere.
Please refer to Varuna’s general submission guidelines for any questions on formatting your work.
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.
JOCK SERONG
Jock Serong is the author of seven novels, most recently Cherrywood. His eighth book, a biography of the Australian clothing maker Sir Fletcher Jones, will be released in September 2026. Jock also writes in multiple media and for screen, and teaches with judicial colleges nationally. He is a board member of Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, and of the Port Fairy Literary Festival. Jock’s PhD in Creative Writing focuses upon Australian historical fiction, and was written in conjunction with his Furneaux Trilogy about the colonisation of Bass Strait.
INGA SIMPSON
Inga Simpson is an award-winning New South Wales writer focused on the natural world. Her novels include The Thinning, Willowman, and Mr Wigg. She has also published a nature writing memoir, Understory: a life with Trees, and two picture books for children, The Book of Australian Trees and The Peach King. Inga has PhDs in creative writing and English literature and her essays, short fiction and photos have appeared in a range of journals. Her latest release, Once We Were Wildlife: stories, explores the boundaries between the human and more-than-human worlds.
TESTIMONIALS
“The opportunity to meet diverse writers and be taken seriously as a writer myself was invaluable. The encouragement I received during my fellowship was all I needed to put my head down and get writing! Thank you for providing this space (virtually) and motivation.”
“The structures set up felt very strong and supportive, highlights included the feedback session with Mary Anne Butler and meeting other writers. I looked forward to each day knowing I had a session. Thank you so much.”
UPCOMING COURSES, FELLOWSHIPS AND EVENTS
