Wyld receives Hardcopy scholarship for First Nations writers

10 May 2018 Books+Publishing

Writer and former bookseller Karen Wyld is the recipient of the inaugural Hardcopy scholarship for an emerging First Nations writer.

Launched this year by the ACT Writers Centre in partnership with the First Nations Australia Writers’ Network (FNAWN), the scholarship provides assistance with travel and accommodation costs for one First Nations writer to attend the Hardcopy workshop program in person.

Wyld is a freelance writer, facilitator and consultant based in South Australia. She has previously been published by Indigenous X, the Guardian, Al Jazeera and NITV, and will be working on her fiction manuscript, ‘Where the Fruit Falls’, which was also shortlisted for the 2017 Richell Prize.

Wyld told Books+Publishing that being shortlisted for the Richell Prize gave her renewed confidence to finish her manuscript. ‘Hardcopy will help me build the skills I need to turn this draft into a polished, completed work,’ said Wyld. ‘This highly regarded program will provide me with feedback from other writers and tips of the trade from publishing professionals. As a self-taught writer, this will provide me with much-needed professional development.’

In its first year, the Hardcopy FNAWN scholarship was open to First Nations writers working on a fiction manuscript. A second scholarship will be offered next year for works of nonfiction.

Wyld, who is a former FNAWN board member, said she encourages more FNAWN members to apply next year. ‘These types of opportunities are rare, and invaluable. The FNAWN Hardcopy scholarship aims to break down some of the barriers that First Nations writers might face in their careers.’

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 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.

Category: Local news