Hardcopy announces digital-only access opportunity and First Nations scholarship

The ACT Writers Centre’s professional development program Hardcopy has announced two new access opportunities for this year’s event.

A new sub-program called HC Digital will allow up to 10 emerging Australian writers to participate in classes, presentations and panels via live-streaming, as well as participate in one-on-one video chats with agents and publishers. Hardcopy organisers say the new digital stream, which has received venue support from the National Library of Australia, will ‘favour writers who would not normally be able to access a program like Hardcopy, for example because of challenges associated with health, and/or income, and/or geographic isolation’.

Hardcopy coordinator Nigel Featherstone said that the organisers will review the success of HC Digital at the end of the year before rolling it out again next year. ‘It’s likely we’ll always offer in-person and digital streams,’ he added.

Hardcopy will also offer, for the first time, a scholarship to an emerging First Nations writer. The scholarship has been established in partnership with the First Nations Australia Writers’ Network (FNAWN), and will provide assistance with travel and accommodation costs for one First Nations writer to attend the Hardcopy program in person.

‘Both programs are new developments for Hardcopy, with the aim of expanding our reach across the country. We’re dedicated to opening up Hardcopy to as many people as possible and amplifying a diversity of voices,’ said Featherstone.

Run by the ACT Writers Centre, Hardcopy is a national professional development program that aims to ‘build the capacities, aptitudes and resources emerging Australian writers need to reach their potential’. The 2018 program will focus on fiction manuscripts and comprises a three-day intensive masterclass in May, a manuscript development period between June and August, three days of presentations and panels on the publishing industry in September, and a ‘second round’ in November, where 10 participants from round one are selected to receive industry feedback from agents and publishers.

For more information, see the website.

Category: Local news