Five writers with disability will receive six hours of free mentoring with authors, assessors and industry experts through the inaugural Write-ability Fellowships announced this week.
The Fellowships, a joint initiative of Writers Victoria and Arts Access Victoria, have been awarded to Heidi Everett (with mentor Lyndel Caffrey), Robbie O’Brien (with mentor Matthew Hooper), Jack Waghorn (with mentor Bethanie Blanchard), Kate Hood from regional Victoria (with mentor Antoinette Eklund) and Carly Findlay (with mentor Sam Twyford-Moore).
The awarded writers are working in a range of styles and genres, including memoir, creative non-fiction, theatrical monologue and horror short stories.
“We received over 40 applications from all over Victoria, so it was a difficult task for our selection panel to narrow down the applications to just five Fellowships,” said Writers Victoria Director Kate Larsen.
The Write-ability program aims to support Victorian writers with disability who want to develop their skills and writing careers.
“After years of blogging, with many stories to tell, I want to develop these stories into a memoir,” said Melbourne blogger and activist Findlay, who will work with Twyford-Moore, Director of the Emerging Writers Festival, over the next two months. “I will be seeking guidance from my mentor in developing a manuscript, seeking a publishing agent and putting together a book proposal. Thank you for this great opportunity!”
Writers Victoria acknowledges the generous support of the Grace Marion Wilson Trust for this program. Write-ability is made possible by the generous support of the Copyright Agency Ltd and The Ian Potter Foundation.