The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS), based at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville, has announced the recipients of its inaugural Writing at the Reef Residency, sponsored by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).
The six successful writers are:
- Claire Corbett
- Stacy Gougoulis
- Eliza Henry-Jones
- Jock Serong
- Maria Takolander
- Jessica White.
The writers were chosen from a field of more than 70 applicants, writing across all genres. The successful applicants were selected based on the literary merit of their proposed project, the identification of the benefit the residency would give their project, and their project’s relevance to the residency’s themes, which focus on ‘the unique asset of the Great Barrier Reef’ and aim to ‘foster writing that includes traditional owner perspectives, notions of place, the environment, the reef or issues of climate change’.
The residency will be held at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville from June 11–17.
FALS chair and AIMS CEO Paul Hardisty said: ‘As a creative writer myself, I was personally moved by the fervour with which so many writers and artists of all levels demonstrated their enthusiasm for this unique place-based residency.
‘It is clear that writers of all kinds are keen to apply their talents to making the story of our precious Great Barrier Reef known at a time that is more urgent than ever.’
For more information, see the JCU website.