It is an honour to be able to introduce the five recipients of the 2022 Faber Writing Academy Scholarships. We are delighted to offer five outstanding writers places in our Writing A Novel courses this year – studying in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Online. We had a record number of applicants and we thank everyone who took time to craft an application.
I wish to sincerely thank the judges of the scholarships this year, including our First Nations scholarship recipients from 2021 – Brooke Scobie and Jeanine Leane – who came together to award our 2022 First Nations scholarship recipient, Celeste Ackerly.
I also wish to extend my thanks to our brilliant Writing a Novel tutors who read a record number of applications, and assisted us throughout this process – Emily Bitto, Sophie Cunningham, Margo Lanagan, Kristina Olsson, Emily O’Grady and Carrie Tiffany.
Sam Twyford-Moore
Manager
Faber Writing Academy
First Nations Writing a Novel Scholarship
Celeste Ackerly is a Palawa woman from Tasmania, she is a mother and is currently studying a BA (Geography) at University. She’s interested in Indigenous sustainability methods and hoping for a future where Indigenous methods are used in climate mitigation to heal country.
Writing a Novel – Online
Andrew Sutherland (he/him) is a Queer Poz (PLHIV) writer and performance-maker between Boorloo (Perth) and Singapore. His poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction can be found in a wide-ranging array of publications, with his debut poetry collection Paradise (point of transmission) forthcoming with Fremantle Press in 2022. He is grateful to reside on Whadjuk Noongar Bibbulmun land.
Writing a Novel – Brisbane
Bronte Coates is a writer and reader based in Brisbane. She is a co-founder of Stilts Journal and is currently completing a Masters of Public Health at QUT.
Writing a Novel – Melbourne
Fatima Sehbai is a Pakistani born Melbourne based writer. She writes short stories, fables and poetry in both English and Urdu. Her work has been shortlisted twice for The Deborah Cass Prize. She has been published in Meanjin, The Age, The Pakistan Tribune and The Indian Link. She loves teaching maths almost as much as writing.
Writing a Novel – Sydney
Ash Watson is a trans nonbinary queer living in Western Sydney. They write about intimacy, navigating queer desire, and honest embodiment. They explore the intersections of gender fluidity, places of belonging, and the family we choose. Of anything, they wish they had not quit coffee, but accept the consequences.
Applications are still open for our Writing A Novel classes in Sydney, Brisbane and online. For more information visit our Writing a Novel information page.