Five writers with disability will receive professional development opportunities at Writers Victoria through the fourth annual Write-ability Fellowships announced this week.
Fellowships were awarded to writers working in a range of styles and genres, including creative fiction, memoir, non-fiction and creative non-fiction.
The five fellowships have been awarded to Vincent Silk, Jessica Knight, Daniel Kraus, Kate Barry and regional writer Andrew Westle.
For Jessica Knight the Write-ability Fellowship will assist her to take her creative non-fiction project to the next level of development and explore publishing pathways. As Jessica says, ”This is a really excellent opportunity and I intend to make the most of it. It is bringing me one step closer to being able to write my brilliant vengeful and cutting dedication in my very own Loser Lit manifesto to not getting what you want and being much more interesting for it.”
An individual Write-ability Fellowship professional development plan will be created in consultation with each of the five writers. For example, the plan could include being matched with a professional writer for six hours of free mentoring or a Writers Victoria Manuscript Assessment or attending a mix of agreed relevant course(s) or events at Writers Victoria.
“We received numerous applications from all over Victoria, so it was a difficult task to narrow down the applications to just five fellowships,” said Writers Victoria Director, Kate Larsen. A partnership between Arts Access Victoria and Writers Victoria, the Write-ability program aims to support Victorian writers with disability who want to develop their skills and writing careers.
Writers Victoria acknowledges the generous support of the Grace Marion Wilson Trust for this program. Write-ability is made possible by the support the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. Write-ability is also grateful for the support of the City of Melbourne, Copyright Agency Ltd, the Ian Potter Foundation, the Australian Government through the Australia Council, and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.