Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Travel Fund

I am delighted to announce that I have been awarded a grant through the Melbourne UNESCO City of Literature Travel Fund! I’m incredibly excited for this career opportunity to travel to America in August. The travel fund is for people in the literary industry to increase their professional development and contribute to Melbourne as a City of Literature.

The purpose of my project is to attend the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) in Spokane and to research and promote Science Fiction and Fantasy writing. Part of my trip will involve researching the creation of an Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, so I’m keen to meet up with other authors, publishers or book lovers who are just as passionate about advocating for genre writers as I am. If you’d like to chat about this, please email me at [email protected]

In writing my application, I first went to hear David Ryding talk about what makes a successful application. What really stuck out for me was that it needed to make an impact, not just in my life but for other people too. I wrote my application by hand over three days, typed it up and pressed send. I couldn’t be happier; this is my first grant I’ve ever received and it will open up a lot of opportunities that I just couldn’t afford to have without the funding.

I’m extremely grateful to the selection panel and the City of Literature. I also want to say a massive thanks to my three referees, without whom this wouldn’t be possible. 

I’d like to thank my friends and family, particularly the members of the Melbourne Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, who continually encourage me to be a better writer. And none of this would be possible without the love and support of my amazing husband Justin who stands by my dream of being a writer.