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Calling all writers - Applications are now open for the 2023 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship
Embarking on a literary fellowship can transform a writer’s life – opening doors and providing writers with the opportunity to focus on their craft. Entries for the 2023 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship have now opened, published authors from across New Zealand are being encouraged to apply.
Throughout its 36-year history, the prestigious national literary award has offered writers the chance to focus on writing full-time, while living in the historic Sargeson Centre and receiving a $20,000 dividend.
Frank Sargeson Trust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rose says that supporting the New Zealand literary community is more important than ever.
“The pandemic and uncertain economic outlook is placing real pressure on our writers, but the resilience of our community is still something to be proud of. And we are immensely grateful for the support of Grimshaw & Co Lawyers, which has allowed us to take the Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship into its 36th year.
Acclaimed writers Nathan Joe and Dr Anna Jackson were recipients of last year’s fellowship. Joe, a Chinese-New Zealand performance poet, theatre-maker and New Zealand Slam Champion, used his fellowship to work on his newest plays Personal Essays and Gay Death Stocktake.
“For playwrights, being treated as serious literary writers and being given space to allow your craft to develop is rare. It is not only validating, but necessary to have residencies and opportunities to create and develop work. Theatre-making and playwriting are often done as a side hustle or at the mercy of larger organisations.”
Jackson is an internationally renowned writer, poet and academic, who teaches English literature at Victoria University of Wellington. She used her tenure at the Sargeson Centre to revise her short novel After Apple-Picking and write her poem Sunlit, which has been published in the acclaimed American journal Ancient Exchanges.
“It is very unusual to have so much open unstructured time in which to write, and it does allow not only for the sustained work of imagination that an extended form of fiction needs, but also for the surprising, unexpected moments of inspiration that would never otherwise have had the space around them to happen in.”
Paul Grimshaw, Partner at Grimshaw and Co, says he continues to support the fellowship because it makes an exceptional contribution to the New Zealand literary landscape.
“I encourage all writers, poets, playwrights and novelists to consider applying. We’re proud to help them focus on their craft, without interruption.”
Applications close on 1 November 2022, with the tenure taking place between February 2023 and October 2023. Further information on the Fellowship is available here. Any queries can be directed to Elizabeth Bennie at elizabeth.bennie@grimshaw.co.nz or on +64 9 375 2393.
About Grimshaw & Co
Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation.
About Frank Sargeson Trust
The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor. The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum. The first fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowship here.
For media enquires contact:
Ben Kieboom
M: +64 22 166 8629
2022 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellows Announced
New Zealand poets Dr Anna Jackson and Nathan Joe have been awarded the prestigious 2022 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship.
Now in its 35th year, the fellowship is a national literary award offering published New Zealand writers the opportunity to focus on their craft full-time. It provides an annual stipend of $20,000 and a eight-month tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland.
Joe, a Chinese-New Zealand performance poet, theatre-maker, and current New Zealand Slam Champion, will use his fellowship to work on his upcoming play, Personal Essays. It's a character study of a writer who mines his personal life for his art without considering the consequences on others.
“Being a healthy theatre-maker requires being surrounded by a vibrant theatre community, and there is personally no better place to do so than in Auckland. Living at the Sargeson Centre will place me in one of the biggest hubs of independent and professional theatre in the country, and enable me to stay involved in the growing queer and Asian theatre scene,” says Joe.
Jackson is an internationally acclaimed writer, poet and academic, who teaches English literature at Victoria University of Wellington. She has recently begun exploring the world of fiction writing, having published The Bedmaking Competition in 2018, which chronicles the coming of age of two sisters.
“I’m going to spend my fellowship finalising a sequel to The Bedmaking Competition. It will be set 20-years-on, and follow the journey of a new, idealist and creative generation of young people. Because I’ve been committed to academic work for so long, I haven’t had the time and space to concentrate on this yet,” she says.
Jackson takes up her residency at the Sargeson Centre in the first half of the year, before returning to her academic work in the second semester.
Frank Sargeson Trust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rose says she is impressed with the calibre of this year’s fellows and is excited to see them take their work to the next level.
“Anna and Nathan were selected from an especially strong field of applicants and now join a large group of distinguished fellows, many of whom are regarded as New Zealand’s most eminent writers. Both are leaders in the field and will be further developing their skillset.”
The fellowship has been recognising and supporting some of our greatest talents for more than 30 years, says Grimshaw & Co Partner Paul Grimshaw.
“It offers vital support to New Zealand writers to focus, uninterrupted, on their work. They are contributing to New Zealand’s literary landscape and we are very proud to support them.”
About Grimshaw & Co
Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation. Established in 2005, Grimshaw & Co are based in Auckland, representing clients across the country.
About Frank Sargeson Trust
The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor. The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum. The first fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowship here.
For media enquires contact:
Ben Kieboom
M: +64 22 166 8629
Calling All Writers - Applications Are Now Open For The 2022 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship
Winning a writing fellowship transforms a writer’s life – opening doors and providing writers with the opportunity to focus on their craft. Published authors from across New Zealand are encouraged to apply for the 2022 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship as entries are now open.
Throughout its 35-year history, the prestigious national literary award has offered writers the chance to focus on their craft full-time, while working in the historic Sargeson Centre and receiving a $20,000 stipend provided to the Fellow/Fellows.
Frank Sargeson Trust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rose says that it is now more important than ever to support the New Zealand literary community.
“The past two years have been a real trial for our writers, and it could be the same for years to come. We’re proud of the resilience of our community, and to take the Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship into its 35th year. The support Grimshaw & Co Lawyers has been providing us with is invaluable.”
Acclaimed writers Lee Murray and Chloe Lane were the recipients of last year’s Fellowship. Murray, the winner of a 2020 Bram Stoker Award, is in the middle of her tenure. While her time at the residency has been disrupted due to lockdown, Murray says she will return as soon as possible.
“In Aotearoa, opportunities for speculative writers are limited, so this kind validation of my work by the Grimshaw Sargeson selectors has been a huge boost to my career. It came at a time when I had come very close to giving up.
“The space above the art gallery is humble and cosy—the perfect hideaway for writing—and there’s something extremely special about staying in a place that has been shared by the country’s literary icons. Household names most of them, their legacy is like the ivy that permeates the building’s brickwork.
“The freedom to write is a rare gift. I only wish there were more such opportunities for New Zealand’s creatives. I encourage all writers to apply.”
Lane, who earned her MFA in Fiction from the University of Florida, has finished her tenure. She says that the residency provided her with uninterrupted time and the right headspace to work on her second novel.
“When I look back at what I arrived with and then what I left with, it's so much more than I could have ever achieved in four months on the outside. The apartment has a special energy about it too. It's a space that wants you to work, and it wants you to work well and hard and to maybe take some risks that you might not otherwise.”
Paul Grimshaw, Partner at Grimshaw and Co, says he continues to support the Fellowship because its writers make an invaluable contribution to New Zealand culture.
“We’re proud to help these writers focus, uninterrupted, on their work. They are contributing immensely to our country’s literary landscape.
Aitken-Rose also says that it is wonderful to see a diverse range of authors apply for the Fellowship across all genres and encourages all established writers to consider applying, whether they are poets, playwrights, novelists, or creative non-fictionalists.
Applications close on 15 October 2021, with the tenure due to start on 1 February 2022 and last until 30 September 2021. Further information on the Fellowship is available here. Any queries can be directed to Elizabeth Bennie at elizabeth.bennie@grimshaw.co.nz or on +64 9 375 2393. Learn more about Murray and Lane’s work during the fellowship here.
About Grimshaw & Co
Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation.
About Frank Sargeson Trust
The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor. The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum. The first Fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowship here.
For media enquires contact:
Ben Kieboom
M: +64 22 166 8629
E: bkieboom@acumennz.com
Calling all writers – applications are now open for the 2021 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship.
Media release: 14th September 2020
The Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship is back looking for writers ready for their 2021 placements. The Fellowship, now in its 34th year, is a national literary award offering published New Zealand writers the chance to focus on their craft full-time, a historic environment to write in, along with financial support and networking opportunities. Applicants must be a New Zealand Citizen or have New Zealand permanent residency Frank Sargeson Trust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rose says now more than ever it is important to support New Zealand authors and creatives. “It’s great that we can provide these well deserving writers the opportunity to focus solely on their literary work for a few months. It gives them the opportunity to devote more time and explore ideas they might not otherwise be able to.”
“We want this Fellowship to enrich and nurture New Zealand’s literary landscape. It’s always exciting to see the work that our recipients create during their tenure, and we look forward to seeing what new concepts are put forward by this year’s talent.”
Writing about sex, human relationships and immigrant perspectives, poet Hera Lindsay Bird and fiction writer Michalia Arathimos were Grimshaw Sargeson’s 2020 fellows. Auckland-based Hera had to adapt, like most New Zealanders, and completed her fellowship at home due to COVID-19 lockdown. This didn’t dent her experience however, and she still continued to develop her project.
“It was such a pleasure to have a few uninterrupted months of time to focus on my work. Even though I didn't get the opportunity to use the building, it was still a great experience,” says Hera. “I really value the time and support this residency afforded, and don't think I would be where I am with my project without this concentrated period of time to think, reflect and work.
“Over the pandemic, most of the writers and artists I know have been reconsidering the function, intent and audience for their work, and while re-evaluating everything can be daunting, it can also be exciting and re-invigorating. I'm going to keep working on my book with renewed clarity and energy.”
Michalia is due to come up from Wellington at the end of the year to undertake her tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland.
Aitken-Rose also says that it is wonderful to see a diverse range of authors apply for the Fellowship across all genres and encourages all established writers to consider applying, whether they are poets, biographers, playwrights or novelists.
“The contribution that they make to New Zealand’s culture is invaluable,” says Paul Grimshaw, Partner of Grimshaw & Co, “that’s why we continue to support New Zealand’s literary talent.”
Applications close on Friday 16 October 2020, with the tenure due to begin in April 2021.
Further information on the Fellowship is available here. Any queries can be directed to Elizabeth Bennie at elizabeth.bennie@grimshaw.co.nz or on +64 9 375 2393.
- ENDS -
About Grimshaw & Co
Grimshaw & Co are leaders in dispute resolution, with experience across all areas of civil and commercial litigation. Established in 2005, Grimshaw & Co are based in Auckland, representing clients across the country.
About the Frank Sargeson Trust
The Frank Sargeson Trust was formed in 1983 by Christine Cole Catley, Frank Sargeson’s heir and executor. The Trust aims to continue Sargeson’s lifelong generosity to writers through providing residential fellowships while preserving his house in Takapuna, Auckland, as New Zealand’s first literary museum. The first fellowship was awarded to Janet Frame in 1987. Learn more about Frank Sargeson and the Fellowship here.
For media enquiries contact:
Nick Davies
P: +64 4 494 6144
M: +64 27 5484442
E: ndavies@acumenrepublic.com