Congratulations to the scholarship recipients for our 2026 February-commencing courses. Competition was stiff! Yet again, we had a record number of applications, with 350 writers vying for seven scholarships in seven courses. And yet again, the standard of work we read was very high, which made for a difficult month!
If you missed out on receiving a scholarship this time around, we encourage you to throw your hat into the ring once again, either for our July-commencing courses or for our February 2027-commencing courses. In the meantime, if you have only taken preliminary steps into your projects, we encourage you to enrol in Kickstart Your Novel, taught by Writing a Novel tutors Luke Horton and Kirsten Tranter, to help you get a head start in time for the next Writing a Novel intake. This course will provide you with a warm and supportive environment as you make inroads into your draft zero. There is no peer workshopping in this class, only lots of writing prompts, exercises, course notes, discussions and provocations designed to hold you accountable and get you writing.
If you are a little further along (at ~10,000 words), we are still accepting applications for paid places in all our by-application, February-commencing Writing a Novel courses, and there is one week left to secure the early bird discount for payments made in full. If you would like us to reconsider your scholarship application for a paid place, please do reach out, but please note that courses may book out. If you have been made an offer, this does not guarantee your place until payment has been made (unless you have made arrangements with me to hold your place).
This year, numbers were particularly high for our Writing Creative Nonfiction course, as well as our Writing a YA Novel course. The tutors on both programs have agreed to open second classes (also capped at 12 participants) to cater to all the fabulous writers who applied for those programs.
And in other exciting news… we have two new long courses in the works for July 2026… stay tuned for more announcements to be made in March next year!
Happy writing everyone! I’m so excited to see what will come of your projects!
Pip Smith, Manager, Faber Writing Academy
Paff Evara
Writing a Creative Nonfiction
Paff Evara is a Black lesbian writer from Kerema, Papua New Guinea, by way of Meanjin, Australia. An essayist and future memoirist, Paff’s work tenderly pushes on the bruises of generational trauma, identity, love and transformation, using writing as alchemy and a tool for self-reclamation.
Angela Fraser
Writing a Novel (Hobart)
Angela Fraser is an emerging writer and award-winning teacher from Lutruwita. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults. She is a seventh-generation Tasmanian, a direct descendant of a ‘dangerous convict’ and ‘notorious strumpet’. You can read more of her work in Teacher, Teacher, edited by Megan Daley.
Nalini Jacob-Roussety
Writing a Novel (Melbourne)
Nalini Jacob-Roussety is a writer and educator from Melbourne who unfortunately missed her calling as an ancient philosopher by two millennia. Instead, she spins fables that would scandalise Socrates, exploring political and ethical complexities through contemporary humour. Her writing has appeared in Overland, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and Fraidy Cat Quarterly.
Elijah Jervis
Writing a Novel (Brisbane)
Elijah Jervis is a Meanjin-based writer of atmospheric, character-driven fiction rooted in Australian history. His debut novel, a crime fable set in 1800s Sydney, explores desperation, redemption’s limits, and how imposed morality shapes us. After several years in the music industry, this marks his first foray into novel-length storytelling.
Nathaniel Crossinggum
Writing a Novel (Online)
Nathaniel Crossinggum is a transgender performer and writer with a flair for the strange and provocative. He trained in acting at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and in La Boite Theatre’s Assembly Program. Nathaniel’s writing has featured in Voicework’s VICE and his show Horse Play was recently staged at Backbone Youth Arts.
Aliyah Knight
Writing a Novel (Sydney)
Aliyah Knight is a Black, queer storyteller. Their award-winning debut play SNAKEFACE premiered to five stars from the Sydney Morning Herald. They are currently a resident artist with Sydney Opera House, Performance Space, and Sydney Theatre Company, and have presented work with AGNSW, Belvoir Theatre, NTofP and others. This will be Aliyah’s debut novel.
Zarqa Nur
Writing a YA Novel
Zarqa Nur trained as an accountant, where she flexed her creative writing by finding kind ways to tell clients bad news. With a background in psychology, she’s driven to write stories that intertwine identity, purpose, and fate. Her hobbies include reading and stress-baking things she can’t eat.