Writer in Residence Program
About the Program
The Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence program supports emerging and established writers by providing dedicated studio space, a stipend and professional development opportunities to develop new creative work.
The residency offers writers:
2026–2027 Woollahra Libraries Writers in Residence
We are delighted to welcome Antonia Pesenti and Michael Fitzgerald as our newest Woollahra Libraries Writers in Residence. Each writer will receive four months of dedicated studio space at EJ Ward Paddington Community Centre to develop a new creative project.
Antonia Pesenti
Antonia Pesenti is an architect, illustrator and visual storyteller whose creative practice spans architecture, design, illustration and publishing.
She directs the multidisciplinary design practice Studio Fable while also creating, designing and making books for young readers. Her work explores a wide range of formats, from experimental zines and artist publications through to award-winning picture books, including Alphabetical Sydney, Numerical Street, Summer Time, Hello Cocky and the internationally published Rhyme trilogy.
Antonia began her four-month residency at EJ Ward Paddington Community Centre on 13 July 2026. During her residency, she will develop an experimental publication inspired by Redleaf Pool. Combining drawing, photography and collected observations and memories, the project will create a layered portrait of place and community connection through visual storytelling.
Learn more about Antonia
Michael Fitzgerald
Michael Fitzgerald is a novelist, editor and arts writer whose work has been praised for its intellectual curiosity and exploration of art, artists and the lasting influence of creative work.
He was a 2026 fellow of the BR Whiting Studio in Rome, where he began writing his fourth novel, The Wandering Mind Society. Drawing on Woollahra's local history, the novel is inspired by the former Merioola artist colony on Edgecliff Road and the later life of painter Justin O'Brien in Rome.
His first novel, The Pacific Room (2017), was supported by an Australia Council for the Arts emerging writers' grant and a Varuna publishing fellowship. His subsequent novels are Pietà (2021) and Late (2023). He currently works as a senior editor at Powerhouse.
Michael will begin his four-month residency at EJ Ward Paddington Community Centre on 1 March 2027. During the residency, he will continue developing The Wandering Mind Society.
Learn more about Michael
Past Writers in Residence
Explore previous participants in the Woollahra Libraries Writer in Residence program.
Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad, February–June 2026
Poet and visual artist Oormila Vijayakrishnan Prahlad was the 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 Shadows Gold (2026).
Oormila’s connection to Woollahra includes launching Patchwork Fugue at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf and performing at multiple Poetica Bondi events.
During her residency from February to June 2026, Oormila developed 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 the applicant’s own original work.