The Michael King Writers Centre in association with Varuna, The National Writers’ House in Katoomba, NSW, Australia is pleased to announce Gina Cole as the recipient of this new residency for New Zealand writers. 

Gina will receive return flights to Sydney, four weeks accommodation and meals at Varuna, a NZ$5,000 stipend and the opportunity to appear at the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival in October.

Gina, is of Fijian, Scottish and Welsh descent.  Her collection Black Ice Matter, won Best First Book of Fiction at the 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.  Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including takahē, JAAM, Express Magazine, Span, Landfall, Geometry, The Three Lamps, and Ora Nui. She is a past participant in the Auckland Writers Festival, and the Same Same But Different LGBTQI+ Festival.  She is a qualified lawyer and practised law for many years. She has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Auckland and a PhD in Creative Writing from Massey University on the topic of Indigenous science fiction and Pasifikafuturism. Her latest novel in this genre, Na Viro is due to be launched in June/July.

Australian writer Kate Mildenhall has been selected to hold the reciprocal residency of four weeks, also in October, at the Michael King Writers Centre in Auckland.

This International Writers Residency Program is supported by Copyright Licensing New Zealand’s newly created Partnership Fund, Copyright Agency (Australia) Partnership Fund and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Chair of the Board of Trustees, Melanie Laville-Moore says ‘Losing professional international opportunities has been a tough consequence of the pandemic for many of our established writers in Aotearoa. The Michael King Writers Centre is delighted with this important new partnership with Varuna House in Australia. It is heartening to see Copyright Licensing New Zealand and Copyright Agency (Australia) both investing in writers through their Cultural Funds.”

Varuna’s, Creative Director Amy Sambrooke says “The possibility of connecting Gina with other First Nations writers, with the University, and with Pasifika writers in Western Sydney is too hard to pass up. We will be thrilled to meet her and have her here for the festival.”

For more information on the exchange see Michael King Writers Centre Website. For media interviews, contact Melanie Laville-Moore, MKWC Chair: email melanieL@allenandunwin.com or phone 021 593 555

* Gina Cole. Photo credit: Kelly Newland