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| Australian Writers' Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian Writers' Centre |
| Formation | 2005 |
| Type | Educational organisation |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Region served | Australia |
Australian Writers' Centre The Australian Writers' Centre is a Melbourne-based provider of creative writing and professional writing training. Founded in 2005, it offers classroom and online instruction linked to industry networks including publishing houses, literary magazines, broadcasters and multimedia firms such as Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Allen & Unwin, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), Nine Network (Australian TV network), Seven Network, Network 10, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Stan (streaming service). Its programs engage with authors, agents and institutions like Barbara Jefferis Award, Miles Franklin Award, Prime Minister's Literary Awards, Wyndham Prize, State Library Victoria and National Library of Australia.
Established in 2005 by a cohort of writers, journalists and educators with connections to Melbourne Writers Festival, Sydney Writers' Festival, Brisbane Writers Festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, Perth Writers Festival and Tasmanian Writers Centre, the centre expanded from classroom sessions in Melbourne to nationwide online delivery. Early collaborations involved literary organisations such as Text Publishing, Magabala Books, UQP (University of Queensland Press), Fremantle Press and cultural institutions including City of Melbourne and Arts NSW. Over time the centre formed ties with media outlets like The Age (Melbourne), The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Guardian (Australia) and with writing organizations like Writers Victoria, Australian Society of Authors, Literary Council of Australia and Copyright Agency Ltd.
Course offerings range from short workshops to extended courses in genres linked to publishers and broadcasters such as Vintage Books, Bloomsbury Publishing, Penguin Books, Hachette Australia and Simon & Schuster Australia. Programs include fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting associated with Australian Writers' Guild, playwriting with links to Melbourne Theatre Company, children's writing tied to Children's Book Council of Australia, memoir associated with Griffith Review and business writing tailored for clients like Telstra, ANZ (banking group), Commonwealth Bank, Qantas and BHP. The centre runs mentorships with editors from The Monthly, Griffith Review, Quadrant (Australia), Meanjin and Overland and online modules connected to platforms such as Udemy, Coursera and industry-specific boutiques.
Instructors and alumni include novelists, journalists, screenwriters and academics associated with awards and institutions: writers who have worked with Helen Garner, Tim Winton, Peter Carey, Richard Flanagan, Geraldine Brooks, Laura Jean McKay, Ellen van Neerven, Michelle de Kretser, Delia Falconer, Melissa Lucashenko, Alex Miller, Margo Lanagan, Tom Keneally, David Malouf, Kate Grenville, Carrie Tiffany, Ellen van Neerven, Gregory Day, Tony Birch, Richard Glover, Peter FitzSimons, Kate Forsyth, Christos Tsiolkas, Nam Le, Murray Bail, Julia Gillard, Jock Serong, Favel Parrett, Anna Funder, John Marsden, Sally Rattle and others who contribute to magazines like Meanjin, Southerly, Griffith Review and The Monthly. Screenwriting tutors have credits on productions for ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Foxtel, Stan (streaming service) and international festivals such as Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.
The centre publishes anthologies and guides produced with contributors from publishing houses such as Allen & Unwin, Pan Macmillan Australia and HarperCollins. It administers competitions tied to prizes and institutions including the Barbara Jefferis Award, Miles Franklin Award, Prime Minister's Literary Awards and state-based awards like the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and partners with magazines including Griffith Review, Meanjin and Overland to showcase winners. Workshops feed into submission pathways for literary journals such as Griffith Review, Meanjin, Overland, Kill Your Darlings and Southerly and to book publishers including Text Publishing and UQP (University of Queensland Press).
Teaching draws on mentorship and practicum models used by institutions like University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of Sydney, Australian National University, University of Queensland and Curtin University. Curriculum integrates craft modules in voice, structure and character influenced by practices from Australian Writers' Guild and editorial processes at Penguin Random House and HarperCollins. Workshops emphasize peer review, revision and industry-readiness for submissions to publishers such as Allen & Unwin, Hachette Australia and for scripts to organizations like Screen Australia and Australian Film Television and Radio School. Assessment frameworks mirror those in programs at RMIT University and Swinburne University of Technology for vocational pathways.
The centre partners with corporations and cultural organisations including ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), SBS (Special Broadcasting Service), Telstra, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ (banking group), City of Melbourne, State Library Victoria, National Library of Australia and festival partners such as Melbourne Writers Festival and Sydney Writers' Festival. Community outreach involves collaborations with local councils and arts bodies like Creative Victoria, Arts Queensland, Perth Festival and regional writing centres including Tasmanian Writers Centre and Writers SA to run programs in remote and metropolitan locations.
Recognition includes nominations and wins by alumni in national prizes such as the Miles Franklin Award, Prime Minister's Literary Awards, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and inclusion of graduates' work in anthologies and journals like Meanjin, Griffith Review, Overland and Southerly. The centre has been cited in media outlets including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age (Melbourne), The Australian and The Guardian (Australia) for its contribution to Australia's literary ecosystem.
Category:Writers' organisations based in Australia