Michael King Writers’ Centre Opportunitity

Media Release
Thursday 19 August 2010

Michael King Writers’ Centre Residency Opportunities for 2011

The Michael King Writers’ Centre is pleased to announce its 2011 residency programme and applications timetable.

The centre plans to offer four supported residencies, ranging between eight weeks and six months.

The residency programme aims to foster New Zealand literature by providing opportunities for writers to work full-time on a major project. Authors receive a stipend, free accommodation and studio working space at the Michael King Writers’ Centre in Devonport, Auckland.

The residency opportunities planned for 2011 are:

• The Summer Residency, eight weeks from January 12 (stipend $8,000);
• The Autumn Residency, eight weeks from March 14 (stipend $8,000)
• The Maori Writer’s Residency, eight weeks from May 12 (stipend $8,000)
• The University of Auckland Residency, six months from July (stipend $30,000)
The centre is now calling for applications for the Summer and Autumn residencies, which are supported by a grant from Creative New Zealand. Applications close on October 8, 2010, and selections will be made by the end of October.

The Maori Writer’s Residency and The University of Auckland Residency are pending confirmation of funding. The centre is inviting expressions of interest in these opportunities. Provided funding is confirmed, the closing date for applications will be Tuesday December 7, 2010, for The University of Auckland Residency and Friday December 17 for the Maori Writer’s Residency. The University selection is expected to be made before Christmas and the selection for the Maori Writer’s Residency will be made by late January 2011.

Selected authors stay at the Michael King Writers’ Centre for the duration of the residency and may be invited to take part in local cultural activities. Writers who normally live in Auckland are welcome to apply and may opt to have a part-time living or working arrangement at the centre.

Fourteen New Zealand writers have now held residencies at the centre. The current writer-in-residence is musician, poet and experimental author Bill Direen, who holds The University of Auckland/Creative New Zealand Residency for 2010.

The centre is also able to assist writers who do not qualify for its supported residency programme. It has a second bedroom which is let at a modest rate to writers who need a quiet place to work.

Detailed information and application forms for the 2011 residency opportunities are available on the centre’s website www.writerscentre.org.nz under the section Writers in Residence, or contact the centre.

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