Writer in Residence Program
The Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence program provides an emerging or established writer with studio space, stipend and professional development opportunities for a 4-month period from February 2026.
2026 Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence: Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad
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). Recent honours include Runner-Up in the 2025 Varuna NSW Writing Fellowships and wins at Bankstown Poetry Slam (Sydney Writers’ Festival), the Winged Muse Poetry Competition and the Don Bank Short Fiction Cup.
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. Her project explores how local landscapes can act as thresholds to “elsewhere,” revealing the layered geographies we carry in memory.
Learn more about Oormila
About the Program
The residency offers writers:
- a $2,000 stipend for the 4-month period of the residency,
- a year-long Writing NSW membership,
- and the opportunity to develop and deliver programs with Woollahra Libraries.
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must:
- have the right to live and work in Australia,
- and be an established or emerging writer.
Submitted material must be your own original work.
Guidelines
Guidelines are available here:
Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence Program Guidelines(PDF, 2MB)
2025-2026 Residency period: 23 February 2026 - 14 June 2026
Applications closed on 30 October 2025.