Inaugural Varuna Trans and Gender Diverse Fellowship recipients announced

Varuna, the National Writers’ House has announced the inaugural recipients of the Varuna Trans and Gender Diverse Fellowship.

The six inaugural recipients (and their manuscripts) are:

• Arani Ahmed, for ‘Needlework’
• Moirra Cohen, for ‘Little Suns’
• Seán Dowling, for ‘Unexploded Ordinance’
• Claire Farrugia, for ‘Baby Saviour’
• Stacey Stokes, for ‘My World’
• Josie/Jocelyn Suzanne, for ‘The Replicant Sonnets’.

The fellowship provides successful applicants with a week-long residency at the house in August this year.

Assessors also highly commended an additional 14 applicants: Olga Bennett, Ro Bright, Teddy Dunn, Mary Duong, Kris Kneen, Lise Leitner, Fleassy Malay, Elliot McMahon, Lia Dewey Morgan, Mina Murray, Jack Nicholls, Emma Osborne, Rae Perks and Erin Riley.

Recipients were selected from 102 applications. Said Varuna: ‘As a team, we were thrilled by the number of applicants to this program, and hope that this is a sign of increasing opportunities for and publications by trans and gender diverse writers.’

Category: Awards Local news