Writers, Young Writer, Writing Courses, Creative Writing

Write In Your Face grants program

Express Media is pleased to announce that Write in Your Face grants have been awarded for 2011. A program funded by the Literature Board of the Australia Council, Write in Your Face supports young writers using language innovatively across a range of forms and genres.

12 recipients were chosen out of more than 50 applicants, with projects covering a wide range of media and purposes. Successful applicants include:

• Sara Fonseca: Mystery in the River City (Queensland) – $4,990 to create an interactive web comic which will reconnect young people in Brisbane with their history and sense of place;

• Eliza-Jane Gilchrist: Such As They Are (Victoria) - $3,935 to run workshops with young people devising a script/story on the theme ‘nightmare’ and produce a zine to record these stories;

• Eliza Hull: SKYS Project (Victoria) – $4,750 to mentor a group of disadvantaged young people from SKYS St Kilda to create a multimedia zine;

• Louise Warren: Ulladulla Book Project (New South Wales) – $5,000 to run creative writing and book arts workshops resulting in a public reading and exhibition for young people in Ulladulla;

• Alli Sebastian Wolf: The Importance of Being Ernest & Other Classic Tales as Told by an Octopus (New South Wales) - $5,000 to create a new theatre and multimedia performance premiering at The Old Fitzroy Theatre, Sydney;

• Geoff Lemon: Brakelights (Victoria) – $5,000 to create a feature length spoken word theatre show;

• Rosanna Stevens: Paper, Scissors, Pen (New South Wales) – $4,000 to create a series of spoken word salons in ACT and NSW, which will also be podcasted;

• Fiona Wright (New South Wales) – $2,400 to create a series of poetry podcasts for new and emerging poets;

• Amy Craig: The Cup Project (Tasmania) – $5,000 to publish the work of young poets, comics and short story writers on takeaway coffee cups distributed via cafes;

• Vicki Coltman: Lead On Ballarat (Victoria) – $4,800 to collaborate with local print media to give young journalists real life opportunities to develop their writing skills and be published;

• Katherine O’Donnell: Atticus, Alaska (Victoria) – $625 to create a website where young adults review young adult fiction; and,

• Steven Finch: Dot Dot Dash (Victoria) – $4,500 – to create an edition of Dot Dot Dash magazine featuring new and emerging writers.

Recipients were selected using the following criteria – innovation, potential to advance the artistic development or expression of young writers and evidence that the project is well-planned and achievable.

Please note, the Write in Your Face program will not run in 2012. Writers or organisations working with young people are encouraged to check out the range of funding programs available directly through the Australia Council for the Arts website at www.australiacouncil.gov.au for literary grants programs.