We are pleased to announce a new merit award for graduates of our 2023 – 2025 Stay the Course, Edit & Submit Your Novel, Advanced Novel Workshop and Writing a Novel programs: the FWA ALUMNI AWARD.

We asked Alexandra Christie, an agent with Curtis Brown Australia, and Abigail Nathan, an agent with Alex Adsett Literary, all about agenting, and their involvement in our inaugural FWA ALUMNI AWARD. Here’s the inside story on their passion for their roles, as well as some invaluable advice to those who have just begun to submit their novels to agents. 

Ahead of Writing for Kids: Picture Books and Children’s Fiction, we spoke to Kate about the joy of working with an illustrator, what makes a work of children’s fiction stand out, and the importance of workshopping and being open to feedback as part of any creative practice.

Ahead of her intensive creative nonfiction course, we spoke to Sophia about how to spot a successful memoir manuscript, the challenges of writing about real-life people, and the memoirists she’s reading now.

Ahead of her short course, Writing Poetry, we spoke to Eileen about what attracted her to poetry, the highlights of her career, and the poets who have inspired her.

“The Game” is a story from Emma Hislop’s debut collection, Ruin and Other Stories, published by Te Herenga Waka University Press, and winner of the Hubert Church Prize for Fiction, for Best First Book at the 2024 Ockham NZ Book Awards. 

Ahead of his short course, Writing a Life, we spoke to Arnold about his omnivorous taste for all literary forms, the authors who enrich his life, and the importance of writers being attuned and open to the world, its landscapes and people.

Robyn Cadwallader will be a special guest speaker in our Writing Historical Fiction course with Lauren Chater.

The 2024 recipients of our Writing a Novel scholarship are halfway through their programs. Find out how the course has made a difference to their writing.

It’s always exciting to introduce the talented writers who will be joining us as scholarship recipients. Join us in wishing them well.

When Pip Fioretti enrolled in Writing a Novel in 2022, she’d already had three commercial fiction novels published.

Helen Signy’s new novel, Maya’s Dance, has just been published. We asked her about the process – its challenges and surprises.

With our intensive courses recently on a break and school holidays occurring, we asked our tutors about their writing practice during ‘downtime’.

We are delighted to introduce Kym Tyzack, who is the recipient of the 2024 scholarship for Writing the YA Novel.

Novelist and tutor Alice Robinson tells us how she kickstarts her novel writing process and where the magic lies.

Learning to prioritise writing time has helped 2023 scholarship recipient Munira Tabassum Ahmed complete a first draft of her novel.

Judith Bishop won the 2023 Scholarship for Writing the Narrative Nonfiction Book. Here she reflects on the program.

Writing the Essay course leader Eda Gunaydin tells us how she came to essay writing and how the form allows a writer to decentre the self.

Course leader Ashley Kalagian Blunt tells us how she came to be a crime writer and why crime is an enduring genre.

Novelist and tutor, Ruby Porter reflects on how she first started to write and how she developed her own skills through study.