Pacific Writers’ Residency at University of Hawaii

Call for applications to Creative New Zealand- Fulbright Pacific Writers’ Residency at University of Hawaii

Creative New Zealand and Fulbright New Zealand are calling for applications to their residency for New Zealand writers of Pacific Islands heritage, based at the Centre for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaii for three months from late August 2005.

The 2005 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency at the University of Hawaii is open to Pacific writers across all genres, including playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers, poets and screen writers. The residency includes return airfares, accommodation costs and an artist stipend of NZ$6000 per month.

Hawaii is a hub for Pacific writing and has become a well-established centre for publishing the work of Pacific peoples. It is also an important link to mainland United States and has a flourishing indigenous culture.

Filmmaker Sima Urale was the inaugural recipient of last year’s Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency. Now back in Wellington, she says she “absolutely loved the whole experience”.

“I completed a draft of my film script with major breakthroughs in character and story development,” Urale says. “I also spent a lot of time talking to communities, who are hungry to tell traditional and contemporary local stories. One of the highlights was working with a group of school kids and getting them to make their own movies.”

The recipient of the 2005 Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writers’ Residency at the University of Hawaii will have had work published or accepted for publication. In the case of scriptwriters or playwrights, he or she will have had work performed or accepted for performance.

The recipient will be expected to work on an approved project during this time and contribute to other opportunities provided by the residency. There will also be an opportunity for professional development, including invitations to give lectures and interviews, make contact with suitable agents and publishers, and enhance the development of New Zealand Pacific literature.

On return from Hawaii, the recipient will be expected to have completed a significant amount of writing. The recipient will also be required to write a report, demonstrating the residency’s tangible benefits to New Zealand Pacific literature.

Applications close at 5pm Friday, 1 April 2005. For more details and application forms, please contact Anton Carter, Arts Adviser, Pacific Islands Arts, Creative New Zealand or Peggy Tramposch, Programme Manager, Senior Scholar programme, Fulbright New Zealand. You can also visit the Fulbright New Zealand website ( http://www.fulbright.org.nz/) for more information and application forms.

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