INTRODUCTION
The University Book Shop Summer Writer in Residence Award, in association with the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage Trust, is open to emerging writers who are normally resident in New Zealand and write for adults, young adults or children. They may write in any genre including poetry, drama, fiction, narrative non-fiction, graphic novels, biography, autobiography, essays or literary criticism. It is based in Ōtepoti/Dunedin, New Zealand’s UNESCO City of Literature.
The residency aims to provide an opportunity for the recipient to concentrate on their writing work to assist in finalising a piece of writing or to help prepare a submission for further publication. The residency runs for six weeks between the beginning of January and the end of February. The exact dates will change each year and will be concurrent with the University of Otago Summer School term.
APPLICANT
As an emerging writer’s resident the applicant is required to have at least one significant work or a body of smaller works published in reputable literary journals, collections, anthologies, online equivalents or previously staged in the case of a playwright. The recipient of the residency will be an applicant who, in the opinion of the University Book Shop Summer Writer in Residence Advisory Group, has established by their published work, or otherwise, that their writing would benefit from the residency.
The final decision on the award and who the recipient is lies at the discretion of University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd.
WRITER IN RESIDENCE AWARD INCLUDES:
RESIDENCY RECIPIENT REQUIREMENTS
ABOUT UNIVERSITY BOOK SHOP & ROBERT LORD WRITERS’ COTTAGE TRUST
The University Book Shop Summer Writer in Residence is offered in partnership with the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage in North Dunedin. This delightful cottage is the perfect base from which to work and continues the work of the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage Trust in supporting writers. The small one bedroom cottage is fully furnished and equipped with broadband access. Any broadband usage over the Trusts’ plan will be met by the Residency recipient.
The University Book Shop has held a unique place in the literary community of Ōtepoti/Dunedin and New Zealand for over seventy years. As a pivot-point between both the University and the City there are a number of opportunities and experiences that may be open to you depending on the recipient’s level of desire to get involved. These may include, but are not limited to:
APPLICATIONS
Applications open 9 September – 6 October.
Recipient announced late October.
To request the application form contact gm@unibooks.co.nz and reply with the completed form or post to PO Box 6060 Dunedin North.
Provide supporting evidence of meeting the emerging writer criteria.
Each year a panel of 2–4 participants will be invited to form the upcoming year’s University Book Shop Summer Writer in Residence Advisory Group. Members may have particular expertise in any of the following: writing, editing, manuscript assessment, publishing, academic appraisal. The final decision on the award and who the recipient is lies at the discretion of University Book Shop (Otago) Ltd.
The recipient will also be required to sign a simple tenancy agreement with the Robert Lord Writers’ Cottage Trust.
Travel arrangements and costs are the responsibility of the recipient.