THE Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre in Greenmount has been awarded nearly $100,000 from Australia’s official arts council Creative Australia, to run an inclusive residency pilot program for emerging Australian writers from diverse and marginalised backgrounds.

The grant marks the largest amount KSP has ever received for a literary program, highlighting the importance and potential impact of this initiative.

With a clear focus on inclusivity and diversity, the program is also close to the hearts of co-founders Sofija Stevanovic and Shannon Britza.

Stevanovic, a Serbian-born neurodivergent writer and current coordinator of the writers’ centre, and Britza, an autistic writer and operations manager at Writing WA, understand the unique barriers faced by writers within marginalised communities.  Conversations between the two women regarding these challenges led to the design of this pilot program.

“This grant from Creative Australia is not just a financial boost; it is a recognition of the vital need to support and amplify the voices of marginalised writers who face challenges to participation in the literary world,” Ms Stevanovic said.

In partnership with Writing WA and Dragonfly Publishing, and with support from the Shire of Mundaring, this program will offer paid residencies, mentoring, and publication in 2025.

“We are excited to see the transformative impact this program will have on the participants and the broader community and look forward to seeing a wide range of applications,” Ms Stevanovic said.

The full list of recent organisations that won Creative Australia arts project funding is available on their website.

Further details about the program will be released soon and writers can sign up to an e-newsletter via the KSP website or follow the centre on its social media channels.