“A beautiful space of quietude, productivity, and connection – this was equally a retreat from the everyday, and an opportunity to affirm myself as a writer,” – Nicole Cadelina – 2020 WestWords-Varuna recipient

Congratulations to the 2024 WestWords-Varuna Recipients 

One of our key programs each year, hosted in proud partnership, is the WestWords-Varuna Emerging Writers Residency. This residency is awarded to diverse, emerging writers from Western Sydney who display exceptional promise in their writing style and the premise of the work.

The 6 nights at Varuna, the National Writers House, provides the perfect environment for concentrated writing that has nurtured the work of hundreds of writers for over the last 25 years. What this residency also provides is one-on-one mentorship with two live-in professional mentors, selected by WestWords, best suited to the needs of the writers and their projects.

Every year our panel faces the incredibly tough task of reading all the applications and choosing only four writers from that competitive pool to receive this residency. We’re very proud to present the 2024 recipients. See their bios below. 

Danielle Osifo
Danielle Osifo is an Australian-Nigerian writer and poet currently studying Media and Commerce at the University of New South Wales. In 2023, she became the Sydney final winner of the Australian Poetry Slam Competition. Her works explore contemporary themes of identity and belonging in the modern world whilst also navigating the ephemerality of life and relationships. Her experiences as a first-generation immigrant deeply influence her writing.

Danielle’s poetry has been featured in Australian Poetry, Unsweetened, and Framework. She is currently working on her first poetry book, Indigo Sun, a compelling exploration of the subtle apocalypse unfolding in our daily lives. In addition to writing, Danielle runs a blog called Offlinewonder, where she celebrates different mediums of art, such as film and oil paintings. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices in literature and the arts, Danielle aspires to continue her literary journey by exploring new genres and publishing works that resonate with diverse audiences around the world.

The 2024 call out is now closed. Please check back in May 2025. 

2024 Key dates
Applications open: May 10th, 2024
Applications close: June 24th, 2024
2024 Residency takes place: 16th September to 22nd September, 2024

“My time at Varuna through the Varuna-Westwords Emerging Writers’ Residency was transformative for my creative practice and for my novel. Having the time and space to write, as well as experiencing the beautiful house and scenery, nurtured my creativity and inspired me no end. Varuna gave me many uninterrupted hours of writing, and was a haven for me.

Outside my solitary hours, this residency gave me community. The mentorship provided by Ally Burnham and Vivian Pham was invaluable to me, my novel, and my writing practice as a whole. Their insights and advice helped me grow as a writer, provided new ways to experiment with structure, and gave me confidence to put my work out into the world. My fellow writers who attended the residency were wonderful as well, sharing with me a sense of comradery, writing advice, and an understanding ear.

Thanks to the residency, I am moving forward in my writing career with renewed passion and new skills. I am deeply grateful to Westwords and Varuna for giving me this opportunity, and I feel privileged that they believed in me and my work. I truly flourished in that house,” – Amy Anshaw-Nye, 2023 WestWords-Varuna Resident 

WestWords and Varuna are once again partnering to offer between 4-5 emerging, diverse* Western Sydney writers the opportunity for a six-day residency at Varuna, The National Writers’ House, in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains.

The residency will run from 16th September to Sunday 22nd September and includes:

• a mix of mentorship, private writing time as well as social time for unstructured conversation
• one-on-one mentorship/consultation with an industry professional
• six nights’ accommodation at Varuna including meals

Applications for 2024 have now closed. Thank you so much for applying. Successful applicants will be contacted before the end of July, 2024. 

The residency is intended for the development of a current project where a significant amount of work has been completed. Prior to taking up the residency, successful applicants are required to submit the manuscript they intend to work on. This is for the purposes of tailoring the mentorship to your needs, including finding the very best industry mentor for the group.

The residency will be awarded to emerging writers from Western Sydney who display exceptional promise in their writing style and the premise of the work. WestWords welcomes manuscripts from writers working in all creative forms, including fiction, drama, poetry, and narrative non-fiction.

The application asks you to submit up to 20 pages of the manuscript you plan to develop during your residency and a 600-word statement on how this development will support you as a writer.

Varuna, the National Writers’ House, is Australia’s only national writers retreat devoted exclusively to the development of the literary form. This iconic institution provides the perfect environment for concentrated writing and has nurtured the work of hundreds of writers for over the last 25 years. Varuna’s residential program runs continuously throughout the year, with up to six writers, each with an identified project, invited to be in residence at Varuna at any one time.

*For the purposes of this program, “diverse” is a self-defining term, that may include First Nations, cultural and/or linguistic diversity, living with a disability, LGBTQIA+. If in doubt, please get in touch.

For more information, you can email us at admin@westwords.com.au or call us on 1800937896

Presented in partnership with