Parramatta's Lit! WRITER AND EDITOR In ResidencE Program
17 Writers and 1 Editor will be selected as a part of the Parramatta's Lit! Writer and Editor In Residence in September 2026
Supported by local venues and literary organisations, this Program aims to support Western Sydney writers and editors.
Supported by Creative Australia and administered through Auspicious Arts Projects
Writers and Editors IN RESIDENCE - 1ST - 30TH SEPTEMBER 2026
DEBORAH PROSPERO Sydney Review of Books
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
DEBORAH PROSPERO Sydney Review of Books
Deborah Prospero is a current PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, an inaugural recipient of the Varuna x Whitlam Institute Essay Residency, and a fanatic of creative non-fiction about people and their placemaking stories. Her thesis in progress is a collection of personal essays on spiritual geography, spectral geography, and dias
Deborah Prospero is a current PhD candidate at Western Sydney University, an inaugural recipient of the Varuna x Whitlam Institute Essay Residency, and a fanatic of creative non-fiction about people and their placemaking stories. Her thesis in progress is a collection of personal essays on spiritual geography, spectral geography, and diasporic literature. With writing featured in Refinery29, Powerhouse Museum online, Written Off, and Locative Magazine, Deborah had the privilege of guest editing Written Off Issue 5. She also spent 2026 as a writing intern at the Powerhouse Museum, working on an upcoming exhibition on malls across Western Sydney, slated for the exciting launch of Powerhouse Parramatta. With an interest in editing, she has also begun freelance editing and transcription work and is interested in learning more about the art.
JOEL BURROWS Currency Press
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
DEBORAH PROSPERO Sydney Review of Books
Joel Burrows is a playwright, poet, and storyteller who’s lived and worked on Gadigal land, Dharawal land, and Dharug land. He’s currently living in Campsie, writing works about Western Sydney.
As a playwright, Joel has worked on You Are Here Festival’s ‘A Walk to Remember’, the Old Fitz Theatre’s ‘Monologue Roulette’, and Arbour Theatre C
Joel Burrows is a playwright, poet, and storyteller who’s lived and worked on Gadigal land, Dharawal land, and Dharug land. He’s currently living in Campsie, writing works about Western Sydney.
As a playwright, Joel has worked on You Are Here Festival’s ‘A Walk to Remember’, the Old Fitz Theatre’s ‘Monologue Roulette’, and Arbour Theatre Company’s ‘A Campfire Story’. He’s also been a member of Sydney Theatre Company’s Young Writers Program and Merrigong Theatre Company’s Playwriting Program.
Over the course of Joel’s career, two of his scripts have been published. In 2015, Currency Press published his monologue ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ in ATYP’s Between Us anthology. During 2020, his play ‘How the Coronavirus Rewrote My Passion Project’ was published by Going Down Swinging.
In 2026, his play ‘Walgett Needs Clean Water’ was shortlisted for the Griffin Theatre Company’s Griffin Award.
As a poet, Joel has been published by Cordite Poetry Review, Going Down Swinging, and Writers Bloc, amongst others. His most acclaimed series of poems is Val Morgan Digital’s ‘Block-etry: Recapping Every Episode of The Block as a Poem’.
Later this year, Joel’s poem ‘You Too’ will be published in Rabbit Poetry’s Annual of Non-Fiction Poetry.
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
Josephine Lee is a writer, actor, producer and director. They were an ATYP National Studio 2025 participant where their work Thank You (For the Gift) was selected to be published in Intersection: Orbit. They also have a written excerpt of Day in the Life of Instagram was showcased at Serpent Secrets - A Lunar New Year Festival (Slanted Th
Josephine Lee is a writer, actor, producer and director. They were an ATYP National Studio 2025 participant where their work Thank You (For the Gift) was selected to be published in Intersection: Orbit. They also have a written excerpt of Day in the Life of Instagram was showcased at Serpent Secrets - A Lunar New Year Festival (Slanted Theatre in partnership with National Theatre of Parramatta’s True West Program). They also love working on new and devised works, including Adam Yoon’s The Lives of Hundun which was part of KXT’s Step Up Program 2024. They also frequently contributed to Honi Soit as a freelance journalist for news and opinion articles. Producing credits include Various Characters (Plus Minus Productions), assistant producer on Snowflake (Good Time Theatrics & JB Theatre Co.) and Girl Band (New Ghosts Theatre Company), and assistant director on Snowflake (Good Time Theatrics & JB Theatre Co.), Atlantis (New Theatre) and As You Like It (Sport for Jove Theatre Company). Recent acting credits include The Eternal Quest to Make Yourself Happy (Or Die Trying) (Q Theatre), Boom (Slanted Theatre), Attempts On Her Life (Montague Basement), As You Like It (Sport for Jove Theatre Company).
GEOFFREY GATES Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
JOSEPHINE LEE Elizabeth Farm, MHNSW
Geoffrey Gates is a teacher, author, and songwriter. He holds Master of Arts degree in creative writing (Macquarie University), as well as a Doctor of Creative Arts (Western Sydney University). Geoffrey’s short fiction and essays have appeared in such literary journals as Southerly, LINQ, and Australian Literary Studies. His novel publica
Geoffrey Gates is a teacher, author, and songwriter. He holds Master of Arts degree in creative writing (Macquarie University), as well as a Doctor of Creative Arts (Western Sydney University). Geoffrey’s short fiction and essays have appeared in such literary journals as Southerly, LINQ, and Australian Literary Studies. His novel publications include A Ticket for Perpetual Locomotion, which won the 2005 IP Picks Award and was published by Interactive Publications. His second novel The Copyart Murders received an honourable mention in the NSW LitLink Residential Fellowships & Unpublished Manuscript Award 2014 (Interactive Publications 2015). Geoffrey was awarded a Varuna Fellowship in 2023 for his third novel The Phantom Surrealist which will be published by Transit Lounge on 1 September 2026. Geoffrey teaches English Extension 1 and 2 at Hills Grammar and mentors students on creative writing projects.
CHARNEL RIZK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
Charnel Rizk is a Lebanese-Australian writer, multidisciplinary artist and speech pathologist based in Western Sydney. Her writing explores migration, identity, memory, language and belonging, drawing inspiration from her family's stories, her cultural heritage and the diverse communities she works alongside. Working across theatre, poetr
Charnel Rizk is a Lebanese-Australian writer, multidisciplinary artist and speech pathologist based in Western Sydney. Her writing explores migration, identity, memory, language and belonging, drawing inspiration from her family's stories, her cultural heritage and the diverse communities she works alongside. Working across theatre, poetry, creative nonfiction, memoir and screen, she is interested in creating work that sits between documentary and performance, blending personal narrative with broader social and cultural conversations. As a writer, Charnel has co-written and co-devised a range of theatre works, including *Khair*, *Tuan's Party* and *Hayat Amina*, in which she also performed. She wrote and performed her debut one-woman show, *Will She?*, at the Sydney Fringe Festival. Her writing was recognised when she won the WestWords Cumberland Writing Prize (Over 18 category) and was awarded second place in the World Lebanese Cultural Union Dr Charles Malik Literary Award for her essay *Dear Fairuz*. She has completed writing commissions for Fairfield City Museum, had an essay published by SBS, and continues to develop work across theatre, poetry, personal memoir and essays. Alongside her writing practice, Charnel works as a speech pathologist and is the founder of ALLTHERIZK and Creative Director and co-owner of Parramatta Actors Centre. Across both her creative and professional work, she is committed to amplifying underrepresented voices and creating opportunities for artists and communities in Western Sydney.
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
NATHANAEL PEACOCK Elizabeth Farm MHNSW
I am a writer and editor based in Westmead, Sydney. I have worked for the last 15 years, primarily in communications and journalism. I have written for brands around Australia and internationally, including Telstra, Mazda, Activision Blizzard, Dropbox, Fujifilm and others. Outside of my day job, I am a freelance journalist and communicati
I am a writer and editor based in Westmead, Sydney. I have worked for the last 15 years, primarily in communications and journalism. I have written for brands around Australia and internationally, including Telstra, Mazda, Activision Blizzard, Dropbox, Fujifilm and others. Outside of my day job, I am a freelance journalist and communications consultant. I am also a person with a physical disability, following four spinal reconstructions to correct a deformity. I manage ongoing pain through medication and exercise. However, writing has always been my outlet. For me, writing is a way to work my brain and escape from my body for a time. While I was in the hospital, between physical therapy and other treatments, I was able to continue writing and, at least in my mind, get out of the hospital bed. I am aware that due to my disability I will likely be unable to work full time for the rest of my life, so my goal is to grow my portfolio so that I can continue writing for as long as I can.
JULIE THORNDYKE Hambledon Cottage
NASHIMA RUBBY Story Factory
ZOHRA ALY Giramondo Publishing
Julie Thorndyke was born in Fairfield, attended Guildford Public School and Granville South High School. She now resides at Castle Hill. After obtaining qualifications at UTS and Macquarie University, she was a librarian at Western Sydney educational campuses before her career change to concentrate on writing. She holds a Master of Creati
Julie Thorndyke was born in Fairfield, attended Guildford Public School and Granville South High School. She now resides at Castle Hill. After obtaining qualifications at UTS and Macquarie University, she was a librarian at Western Sydney educational campuses before her career change to concentrate on writing. She holds a Master of Creative Writing Degree from The University of Sydney. An internationally published tanka poet and contributor to The NSW School Magazine, she has been editor of Eucalypt: a tanka journal since 2017. Julie has published three collections of tanka poetry including Borrowed Riches (2022). Julie’s adult novel, Mrs Rickaby’s Lullaby, was published in 2019 and Divertimento (short stories) in 2021. Her first picture book Waiting for the Night was published in 2018 and a second, Watching through the Day, in 2020. Alice’s Shoe, Julie’s picture book about deafblind Australian girl Alice Betteridge, was published by MidnightSun Publishing in 2023 and won a Special Mention in the Forevability Awards 2024 and Highly Commended in SWW NSW Member Book Awards 2024. Her latest poetry books are Precipice (2024) and Turning the Calendar (2025). Julie is a member of Writing NSW, SCBWI, ASA, BHS, FAW, SWW NSW and Tanka Society of America.
ZOHRA ALY Giramondo Publishing
NASHIMA RUBBY Story Factory
ZOHRA ALY Giramondo Publishing
I worked as a hospital pharmacist for years before returning in 2011 to my first love, writing. I freelanced for Sydney Morning Herald and magazines like Sunday Life and MiNDFOOD. In 2021 I completed a Master’s in Creative Writing at UTS; my essays and short fiction have been published in Meanjin, Sydney Review of Books and Island, as wel
I worked as a hospital pharmacist for years before returning in 2011 to my first love, writing. I freelanced for Sydney Morning Herald and magazines like Sunday Life and MiNDFOOD. In 2021 I completed a Master’s in Creative Writing at UTS; my essays and short fiction have been published in Meanjin, Sydney Review of Books and Island, as well as various anthologies including Giramondo’s “Second City” in 2022. I chair panels at writing festivals like Newcastle WF and the South Coast WF. My writing practice is built around family life including caring responsibilities for elderly parents who live with me and a busy community volunteer role. While I struggle to write daily, especially if family commitments or emergencies present themselves, I make it a point to record voice notes or jot ideas and sentences in emails to myself daily, so ideas don’t evaporate and to stay connected to my work in progress. I revisit and incorporate these when I sit to write next, often joining write-ins with other writers. I read fiction and nonfiction daily and before I sit at my desk to prime my writing time. I’m part of a couple of writers’ groups; the support and safe space buoys and boosts my practice.
NASHIMA RUBBY Story Factory
NASHIMA RUBBY Story Factory
I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer. When I first learned to write rhyming couplets, the adults were impressed by my ability to follow the AA BB CC rhyme scheme. They even said that one day I would be a published writer and, having heard it from those I looked up to, it felt possible. I’m proud to say that after a long persona
I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer. When I first learned to write rhyming couplets, the adults were impressed by my ability to follow the AA BB CC rhyme scheme. They even said that one day I would be a published writer and, having heard it from those I looked up to, it felt possible. I’m proud to say that after a long personal struggle throughout school, I am a published writer. High school English had crushed my confidence with mediocre grades. The curriculum seemed to reward a certain formulaic style of writing over creativity and passion. When my dreams seemed a lost cause in my senior years of school, I had almost committed to attending university for a course I did not love. But, by surrounding myself with other writers who inspired and encouraged me to publish a collection of poetry in 2024, ‘Sweet Dreams, You’, I graduated from Year 12 with a tangible work of my own and a rekindled fondness for the industry. Since then, I have begun a Bachelor of Communications degree at the University of Technology Sydney, studying writing and publishing. In the next few years, I aspire to become a published author and become an active member of the Australian writing community.
SUNNY GRACE The Whitlam Institute
Sunny Grace is a writer, director, and creative producer whose storytelling began at fifteen, when she made her first short film through Open Channel. After earning a BA from Swinburne University in 1991, she worked across media and film, from journalism to actors’ representation. She then built two decades of experience producing online
Sunny Grace is a writer, director, and creative producer whose storytelling began at fifteen, when she made her first short film through Open Channel. After earning a BA from Swinburne University in 1991, she worked across media and film, from journalism to actors’ representation. She then built two decades of experience producing online content, music videos, and short films, including the multi‑award‑winning dik. In 2016, Grace completed an MFA in Dramatic Writing at NIDA. Since then, she has received awards for her shorts Trigger Happy and Charging. Her play The Angelica Complex is published by Australian Plays. Selected development and industry credits include the Screenworks/Australian International Screen Forum Write From Home Program, finalist in the AACTA Screenworks Regional Landscapes pitch for her feature Never the Bride, and a Screen NSW Momentum attachment in the script department on the STAN series Year Of. In 2022, she won the Erin Thomas Prize for Playwriting and was selected for both the Screenworks Writers Intensive and Directors Intensive. Her TV show Almost Paradise was long‑listed for the AWG Monte Miller Award, feature The Bower Girl was long‑listed for the AWG Insite Award, and Dadhood, a TV series co‑created with Richie Black, received Screen Australia development funding. She is currently adapting Kim Lock’s novel The Other Side of Beautiful for film and co‑wrote The Bridge, which premiered at KXT in September 2025.
SAURABH BHATTACHARYA The Whitlam Institute
Saurabh Bhattacharya is a writer, educator and emerging playwright whose work explores literature, identity and social justice within diasporic communities.
He holds a Masters in English Literature from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal, and began his career in print journalism, writing and editing on social, political and envir
Saurabh Bhattacharya is a writer, educator and emerging playwright whose work explores literature, identity and social justice within diasporic communities.
He holds a Masters in English Literature from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal, and began his career in print journalism, writing and editing on social, political and environmental issues for The Asian Age, Down To Earth Magazine and Life Positive, where he interviewed luminaries such as Pt. Ravi Shankar, futurologist Howard Rheingold and Dr Deepak Chopra.
In 2003, Saurabh migrated to Australia, where he continued to write fiction and poetry alongside a diverse range of professional roles. He later completed a degree in Philosophy from the University of New England before retraining as an English teacher, graduating with a Bachelor of Teaching from Charles Sturt University in 2010.
Since 2011, he has worked in public education in Western Sydney, and is currently a Deputy Principal at Macarthur Girls High School. Saurabh is currently commissioned to write his first work for the stage by the Nautanki Theatre Company, a Parramatta-based company recognised as a leading platform for South Asian talent.
His play Orko is an appropriation of Shakespeare’s Othello, reimagined within the South Asian diasporic community of Western Sydney. The work examines the often-silenced issue of domestic violence and its corrosive impact on families and community life. A first draft of Orko was presented to a full-house audience at the 2025 Parramatta Lit Festival, with the production presented at the Riverside Theatres in Parramatta in 2026.
Saurabh is the literary manager of Nautanki Theatre, based in Australia.
DILROOP KHANGURA The Whitlam Institute
I am an Indian-Australian playwright, actor, and writer from Western Sydney. My work blends comedy with emotional depth, often exploring themes of identity, grief, and resilience through a distinctly cross-cultural lens. Most recently, my mockumentary ‘The Khanguras’ was shortlisted for Tropfest 2026. I am also currently attending Th
I am an Indian-Australian playwright, actor, and writer from Western Sydney. My work blends comedy with emotional depth, often exploring themes of identity, grief, and resilience through a distinctly cross-cultural lens. Most recently, my mockumentary ‘The Khanguras’ was shortlisted for Tropfest 2026. I am also currently attending The Parramatta Play Project which I was selected for. Last year, saw me take part in Encounter Theatre's Screenwriting Group where I developed a proof of concept for a short film. Additionally, I was selected to participate in the National Theatre of Parramatta’s Staging the World program, where I developed my craft under leading theatre practitioners. I also had the opportunity to be a part of the Australian Theatre for Young People's National Studio in 2022 which resulted in the publication of my first short play with Currency Press, which was also performed at Intersection 2023. Other publications include a monologue that was published with Playlab Theatre last year. Alongside this, in 2022, I was selected as the Home and Away & Equity Foundation internship recipient and had the opportunity to spend time with Home & Away's writers, producers and directors.
BROOKE WEBB The Whitlam Institute
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
BERNARD ZUEL Virtual
Brooke Webb is a diarist returning to writing poetry. She is observational, reflective and writes to pass and understand time. Current preoccupations include time, aloneness, The Myth of Sisyphus, teaching, buying a flat in North Parramatta, mental health, motherhood and rejoining community theatre as part of the ensemble in Mary Poppins.
Brooke Webb is a diarist returning to writing poetry. She is observational, reflective and writes to pass and understand time. Current preoccupations include time, aloneness, The Myth of Sisyphus, teaching, buying a flat in North Parramatta, mental health, motherhood and rejoining community theatre as part of the ensemble in Mary Poppins. Webb is a Western Sydney writer that lives in Parramatta and enjoys getting around the suburb-city almost always on foot. In 2022, she was part of the WestWords Academy and won the adult prize for Parramatta LGA Living Stories competition; in 2023 she published two poems in WestWords’ Apples Anthology; and in 2024 her self-portrait Some Story was a finalist in the Blacktown City Art Prize. At university studying an English Major for a Bachelor of Education she revelled in Professor Barry Spur’s Reading Poetry lectures in the sandstone quad. Still to this day she writes poems in the wide and narrow margins of her life where notepads and journals are never too far away as she notices and reflects on the locale around her and the state of her mind within her.
BERNARD ZUEL Virtual
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
BERNARD ZUEL Virtual
Bernard Zuel is an arts journalist specialising in music who began in the alternative press and Rolling Stone with a stint at the Penrith Press, before spending 25 years at the Sydney Morning Herald. The majority of that time was senior music writer and critic, then continuing his work as a freelance writer and teacher, including lecturi
Bernard Zuel is an arts journalist specialising in music who began in the alternative press and Rolling Stone with a stint at the Penrith Press, before spending 25 years at the Sydney Morning Herald. The majority of that time was senior music writer and critic, then continuing his work as a freelance writer and teacher, including lecturing in journalism at Sydney University, since leaving the paper.
A contributor to radio and TV, including regular shows on ABC radio, commentary on all platforms, and co-host of the online show The Right Note, he was a founding judge of the Australian Music Prize, where he stayed for 20 years.
He has lived in the inner south, the outer west and the northwest of Sydney after landing here from the infinitesimally small island of Mauritius, and has never learned to surf.
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
Zeynab Gamieldien is a writer based in Gadigal/Sydney. The manuscript for her first novel, The Scope of Permissibility, won the inaugural 2022 Westwords/Ultimo Prize and was subsequently published by Ultimo Press in 2023. Her second novel, Learned Behaviours, published by Ultimo Press in 2025, was shortlisted in the 2026 NSW Literary Awar
Zeynab Gamieldien is a writer based in Gadigal/Sydney. The manuscript for her first novel, The Scope of Permissibility, won the inaugural 2022 Westwords/Ultimo Prize and was subsequently published by Ultimo Press in 2023. Her second novel, Learned Behaviours, published by Ultimo Press in 2025, was shortlisted in the 2026 NSW Literary Awards for the Multicultural NSW award and has also been shortlisted in the 2026 Davitt Awards. In 2026, Zeynab was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Australian Novelists and was also a recipient of the Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund. Her work has also been featured in publications such as The Griffith Review, Lip Magazine and The Guardian.
CHRISTOPHER SAMMUT Virtual Residency
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
ZEYNAB GAMIELDIEN Virtual
Chris was born, raised and still lives in Western Sydney. He founded the independent record store Repressed Records in Penrith in 2002, before moving it to Newtown in 2009. His writing has been published in ZineWest, Westwords, Short Stories Unlimited, the annual Australian-Romanian Anthology and Scintillas 3, a collection of Maltese writ
Chris was born, raised and still lives in Western Sydney. He founded the independent record store Repressed Records in Penrith in 2002, before moving it to Newtown in 2009. His writing has been published in ZineWest, Westwords, Short Stories Unlimited, the annual Australian-Romanian Anthology and Scintillas 3, a collection of Maltese writing from around the world. His short story Breathe won ZineWest 2021, and his story Bail placed first for Blacktown LGA in the Westwords Living Stories competition 2025 and was highly commended overall. He was part of the Westwords Academy for 2025. His writing is firmly rooted in Western Sydney.
MIRANDA AGUILA Virtual Residency
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
Miranda Aguilar is a queer, Filipinx writer, creative producer and community arts worker. They write and collaborate widely across mediums for screen, stage and beyond, but the only constant is wanting to create work that prompts queer brown joy. Their credits include acting as showrunner and one of the lead writers for Las Rosas (2017),
Miranda Aguilar is a queer, Filipinx writer, creative producer and community arts worker. They write and collaborate widely across mediums for screen, stage and beyond, but the only constant is wanting to create work that prompts queer brown joy. Their credits include acting as showrunner and one of the lead writers for Las Rosas (2017), producing Prone to the Drone (2019), and writing ‘Let Me Know When You Get Home’, their first full-length play. Their work has been previously supported by Creative Australia, CreateNSW, Blacktown Arts, PACT, and APT among others. In 2023, they were selected for the Screen Australia and Australian’s in Film UNTAPPED 2023 Development Lab for their work-in-development, Courting Ghosts. In 2022, they were a part of the AFTRS National Talent Camp, and the Co-Curious Bright Side writing program as part of the Netflix Fund for Creativity. They are currently developing their first feature film script with Purple Carrot Entertainment.
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
LEO TANOI Virtual Residency
Lalau Leo Tanoi is a multi award-winning Western Sydney-based Pasifika cultural leader whose practice spans more than three decades of arts and community work. His creative practice spans writing, visual arts curation, arts and cultural programming, performance and broadcasting.
Tanoi’s writing grows from his family, culture and lived ex
Lalau Leo Tanoi is a multi award-winning Western Sydney-based Pasifika cultural leader whose practice spans more than three decades of arts and community work. His creative practice spans writing, visual arts curation, arts and cultural programming, performance and broadcasting.
Tanoi’s writing grows from his family, culture and lived experience, and from a career dedicated to creating space for Pasifika and Western Sydney artists and stories.
His theatre credits include co-devising Urban Theatre Projects’ award-winning Back Home (2006/2008), which was presented at The Dreaming Festival and Sydney Festival before representing Australian theatre at Toronto’s Luminato Festival in 2008. He was subsequently commissioned to write for Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and selected by Chris Mead for a Playwriting Australia development program for seven Western Sydney writers. Mentored by playwright Steve Rodgers, Tanoi developed a new work that received a reading directed by Neil Armfield and led to an invitation to further develop the play with Belvoir. Instead, Tanoi chose to take up the role of Creative Producer of Pacific Programs at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, where he worked from 2010–2015.
His storytelling and collaborative writing practice has also included co-devising Riot Act at Campbelltown Arts Centre and writing and performing the story of Maui Tiki Talaga for FunPark Western Sydney.
Beyond his writing, Tanoi has played a significant role in the development and visibility of Pasifika arts in NSW. He was a founding member of the influential Pacific Wave Festival (1996–2002), and has worked extensively as a curator, cultural advisor, DJ and broadcaster, including his long-running Koori Radio programs Samoan Dreaming and The DJ Black President Show. He was named Koori Radio Broadcaster of the Year in 2012 and was also a broadcaster on 2SER’s pioneering Sydney hip-hop program The Mothership Connection.
In 2024, Tanoi worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s C3West program on Lifting the Tapu with artist Greg Semu, which received a Museums & Galleries of NSW IMAGinE Award for exhibition and community engagement. His earlier work with Casula Powerhouse contributed to Body Pacifica, which received an IMAGinE Award in 2010. In 2025, he was nominated for the Legacy Award at the Asia Pacific Awards.
In 2026, Tanoi received the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Medal for Arts and Culture, sponsored by Powerhouse Parramatta.
Tanoi is now returning with renewed focus to writing, drawing together the many strands of his creative life to tell stories about family, Pasifika culture, community, the arts and the place that has profoundly shaped his work, Western Sydney.
"WRITERS AND EDITORS In ReSIDENCE" PARTNERS
CURRENCY PRESS
Currency Press is Australia’s foremost publisher of the performing arts and its oldest active independent publisher. Our books include plays, screenplays, critical studies on theatre and film, practical guides and manuals on acting and auditioning, learning dialects, using drama to improve literacy and language, teaching drama and creating drama with young people.
THIS IS A VIRTUAL RESIDENCY - NO DESK SPACE PROVISION
1 x writer will be offered a virtual residence which includes a 1 hour mentoring session with Currency Press staff, a selection of Currency Press plays.
ELIZABETH FARM COTTAGE
Elizabeth Farm, managed by Museums of History NSW, is one of Australia's oldest surviving European homesteads and a place of profound historical significance. Located in Parramatta on Dharug Country, the house and gardens tell stories of the Macarthur family, early colonial life, agriculture and the enduring histories of the land. Today, Elizabeth Farm is a welcoming heritage site that invites visitors to explore Australia's layered past through exhibitions, guided tours, public programs and community events. As a place where history, storytelling and contemporary conversations meet, Elizabeth Farm offers a unique setting for writers, readers and audiences to connect with place and culture.
THIS IS AN ON-SITE RESIDENCY - FOR UP TO A WEEK - TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE SELECTED WRITERS
4 x writers will be selected for this residency opportunity at Elizabeth Farm Cottage.
GIRAMONDO PUBLISHING
The Giramondo Publishing Company is an independent, Australian, university-based literary publisher of award-winning poetry, fiction and non-fiction, renowned for the quality of its writing, editing and book design.
Giramondo celebrates 30 years of publishing in 2026. Giramondo’s titles have won or been shortlisted for all the major Australian literary prizes, including the Miles Franklin, the Patrick White Literary Award, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Stella Prize, the National Biography Award and the various state Premier’s Awards.
THIS IS AN ON-SITE RESIDENCY - 1 DAY PER WEEK DURING SEPTEMBER
1 x writer will be selected for this residency opportunity. This opportunity is best suited to an emerging writer, or for someone interested in the processes of publishing.
HAMBLEDON COTTAGE
Hambledon Cottage Museum is a beautifully preserved Georgian house museum located in Harris Park on Dharug Country. Built in 1824 as part of John Macarthur's Elizabeth Farm estate, the cottage offers visitors an authentic glimpse into nineteenth-century colonial life through its period furnishings, collections and guided tours. Managed by the Parramatta and District Historical Society, Hambledon Cottage is dedicated to preserving and sharing Parramatta's rich history through exhibitions, education programs, research and community engagement. With its heritage gardens, historic archives and welcoming atmosphere, Hambledon Cottage provides a unique place to connect history, storytelling and the people who have shaped Parramatta over two centuries.
THIS IS AN ON-SITE RESIDENCY - TWO TUESDAYS IN SEPTEMBER
1 x writer will also be gifted membership of Parramatta & District Historical until at least March 2028. Membership includes access to our members library, a free tour of Hambledon Cottage and other benefits. They will also be provided with a free copy of booklets on the history of Hambledon Cottage. No wifi available.
STORY FACTORY
Story Factory is a not-for-profit creative writing organisation for young people. We deliver award-winning programs that empower young people from under resourced communities to find and share their voices, imagine new worlds and write their own futures. Our programs support young people to develop the confidence and literacy to thrive at school and beyond.
ON SITE RESIDENCY - TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE SELECTED WRITER
1 x young and emerging writer (must hold an ABN) will be selected for this opportunity.
SYDNEY REVIEW OF BOOKS
Sydney Review of Books (SRB) is Australia's leading longform critical journal. Founded in 2013 to redress the diminishing opportunities for critics in the mainstream press, the SRB publishes reviews and essays by the most widely recognised authors to emerging practitioners, with a program that reflects the diversity of literary talent across the country. It also publishes print anthologies, produces podcasts, and curates a lively series of public events. The SRB is based in Parramatta as part of the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University.
ON SITE RESIDENCY - 2 DAYS A WEEK FOR AN EDITOR
1 x successful editor will have access to a hot desk for the duration of the residency, and will be offered mentorship and hands-on editorial experience (copy-editing and proofing).
The selected applicant will receive an additional $500, bringing the total of this editor in residency to $1000.
WHITLAM INSTITUTE
The Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University is a dynamic research and policy think tank, and a prime ministerial public museum. It commemorates and draws inspiration from the life and work of the Honourable Gough Whitlam AC QC and celebrates the contemporary relevance of his ideas. It pursues the causes he championed and is guided by the principles upon which Gough Whitlam's parliamentary career and years of service to the people of Australia were founded.
ON SITE RESIDENCY - TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH THE SELECTED WRITER
4 writers will be provided a private and dedicated office space available to the writer in the East Wing of the building including wifi.
PARRAMATTA'S LIT! VIRTUAL RESIDENCY
Ideal for writers who already have their own workspace or enjoy writing across cafés, libraries, parks and other creative environments, this flexible residency offers mentorship and professional connection rather than a dedicated desk.
The residency will also be profiled through the Parramatta's Lit! website and Instagram, connecting writers with the wider festival community while allowing them the freedom to write wherever they work best.
Writers with existing affiliation to a Western Sydney based publisher, literary organisation or collectives will be prioritised.
VIRTUAL RESIDENCY - SELF DIRECTED AND ON YOUR OWN SCHEDULE
3 x writers will be selected to receive the $500 stipend to support their work
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