Closing date: Monday 23 November 2020
Text Publishing and Writing NSW are proud to announce the 2021 Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship. The prize was established in 2019 to discover and nurture a powerful new Indigenous voice in Australian literature.
This joint initiative will provide a year-long structured mentorship to an unpublished Indigenous writer who has made substantial progress on a manuscript of fiction or non-fiction. The recipient of the Mentorship will be paired with a senior Indigenous writer working in the same genre, providing feedback on their manuscript and professional advice. The successful applicant will also receive professional development from Text Publishing and Writing NSW.
Cathy Craigie, founding Director of the First Nations Australia Writers Network, states:
“Mentorships are an important link in First Nations writing. Either through informal or formal structures, writers gain skills and knowledge of their craft but also of the industry. For First Nations writers, mentoring by their peers can bring literary knowledge but also a cultural perspective in keeping our stories strong without losing the essence of the story.”
The Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship will be judged by Tony Birch, best-selling author and winner of the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Indigenous Writing, alongside representatives from Text Publishing and Writing NSW. Tony Birch states:
“It is such an honour to be involved in this project. The relationship between a mentor and young writer is an invaluable experience for all involved.”
See more information on the Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship here:
writingnsw.org.au/support/funding-opportunities/boundless-indigenous-mentorship-program/
Writing NSW acknowledges all the First Nations people of what is now the state of New South Wales and pays respects to their elders and storytellers, past, present and emerging.