Big opportunities aren’t just for those peddling their pens in the big smoke. Young writers from across Australia can apply for Toolkits – a series of intensive, craft-specific online writing programs.
Toolkits is a rigorous 12-week program for writers aged 30 and under to develop their skills in a unique and exciting online environment. Each program includes one-on-one mentoring and feedback from an established writer, specialised presentations from guest artists and the opportunity to network with other young people working in the same literary form.
In 2021, Toolkits will also present two seasons of live special events with guest artists sharing their craft and hints for young writers. These events will be streamed for free on Express Media’s YouTube channel
We’ll be revealing our lead facilitators for Season 1 the week of 8 February 2021. Keep an eye on our social media for more details!
Season 1 (March – June 2021)
Toolkits: Graphic Narratives
Toolkits: Fiction
Toolkits: Nonfiction
Season 2 (August – November 2021) – applications open July 2021
Toolkits: Playwriting
Toolkits: Digital Storytelling
Toolkits: Poetry
Applications are now closed for season one of Toolkits 2021
Applications to Toolkits are free for Express Media members. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up here.
Have a question? Need help with your application? Send an email to Express Media’s Creative Producer at creativeproducer@expressmedia.org.au.
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Our Artists
Jennifer Down | Toolkits: Fiction
Jennifer Down is a writer, editor and translator, and the author of Our Magic Hour (2016) and Pulse Points (2017). Her new novel, Bodies of Light, will be published in October this year. She has facilitated the Toolkits: Fiction programme since 2017
Claudia Chinyere Akole | Toolkits: Graphic Narratives
Claudia Chinyere Akole is an exhibiting artist, freelance illustrator, cartoonist, designer, animator, and educator based in Sydney, Australia (unceded lands of the Gadigal and Wangal Peoples of the Eora Nation). She works as a graphic designer in TV broadcast, as a freelance illustrator, and creates comics and illustrations in her personal practice. She’s an art hag who bleeds pink – and a notorious crybaby with work that tends to cover cultural identity, abstraction, and mental health.
Stephen Pham | Toolkits: Nonfiction
Stephen Pham is a Vietnamese-Australian writer from Cabramatta. His work has appeared in Overland, Meanjin, Seizure, and Sydney Review of Books, among others. In 2018, Stephen received the Create NSW Writer’s Fellowship to commence his debut manuscript. Most recently, he worked on Sex, Drugs & Pork Rolls, a performance piece written in collaboration with Shirley Le, Winnie Dunn, and Omar Sakr. Directed by S. Shakthidharan and produced by UTP, it premiered at Sydney Festival in 2021.
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The only other things you’ll need are motivation and internet connection, so don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to refine your craft and be mentored by some of Australia’s best literary talent.
Toolkits is generously supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.
This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund Strategic Initiatives, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.
