Writer in Residence Program
Applications are now closed for the 2026-2027 Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence program.
About the Program
The Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence program provides an emerging or established writer with studio space, stipend and professional development opportunities.
The residency offers writers:
Current Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence
We are delighted to welcome poet and visual artist Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad as our inaugural Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence. A transnational artist working across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Australian contexts, Oormila creates hybrid poetry that blends lyricism, documentary attention and visual art. Her work explores how landscapes, both familiar and remembered, intersect in the lived experience of place and belonging.
Her writing has appeared in more than 70 international journals, and her visual art has featured on the covers and pages of magazines across ten countries. Oormila’s books include Patchwork Fugue (2024), A Second Life in Eighty-Eight Keys (2024) and the forthcoming Shadows Gold (2026).
Oormila’s connection to Woollahra is already strong: she launched Patchwork Fugue at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf and has performed at multiple Poetica Bondi events.
From February to June 2026, Oormila will develop a new collection of 20 hybrid poetry sequences inspired by Woollahra’s harbours, coastal paths and green spaces.
Learn more about Oormila
Guidelines
Guidelines are available here:
Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence Program Guidelines(PDF, 3MB)
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must:
- be over 18 years of age,
- have the right to live and work in Australia,
- and be an established or emerging writer.
Submitted material must be your own original work.