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The Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund will award $300,000 in grants over three years to writers, editors, agents, publishers, booksellers and other literary professionals.
The fund is supported by the Myer Foundation.
Latest Winners / Recipients
Year: 2024
recipientElfy Scottto travel to Australia, Indonesia and Vanuatu to write a book that investigates generational inequality and how young people can reclaim hope for their futures in the face of intensifying crises.
recipientJo Langdonto travel to Queensland to produce new poetry responding to the State Library of Queensland’s Barbari Piscitelli AM Children’s Art Archive.
recipientLaura Jean McKayto travel to San Francisco for a book tour, following the launch of Gunflower (Scribe), as well as research in London and Liverpool for her next novel.
recipientLystra Rose/specialistDatasets/BlackWords to travel to Japan to conduct research, experience immersive site visits and exhibitions, as well as attend a self-hosted writing residency to develop the final novel in the N’gian Chronicles, titled ‘The Upworlding’.
recipientSam Elkinto travel to North America to promote a debut book with WLU Press and attend a Lambda LGBTIQA+ literary retreat trip in Philadelphia.
recipientSarah Firthto travel to Boston, New York, Washington and North Carolina for the US debut of the graphic novel Eventually Everything Connects (Joan).
recipientSharlene Allsopp/specialistDatasets/BlackWords to travel for the Ateliers Artist in Residence program at the Chateau Bouthonvilliers to collate research and begin writing ‘Through a Glass, Darkly’.
recipientAnne-Marie Te Whiuto attend The Church Rawene residency in the Hokianga, Aotearoa to work on her next manuscript.
recipientDeborah Huff-Horwoodto travel to South Australia to conduct research for her YA queer romance novel.
recipientGurmeet Kaurto attend a residency program in the UK and conduct research to develop her poetry collection, ‘So Much Sun’, which explores themes of memoir, haunting, place and global diasporic consciousness.
recipientManisha Anjalito travel to her ancestral island, Taveuni, Fiji, to conduct research for her upcoming poetry collection
recipientRonnie Scottto travel to Spain to research his third novel, about queer filmmaking as AIDS memorial, at Filmoteca Española in Madrid.
recipientSera Jonas Jakobto travel to the Harz mountains of Germany to undertake family history research to complete her second novel.
recipientVuong Phamto visit the War Remnants Museum in Saigon to help craft his first full-length collection of poetry, ‘Reborn’.
Year: 2023
Indexed selectively.
recipientAimee Chanto tour literary exhibition, Juvenilia, to South Australia to reach a new audience of readers, educators and librarians
recipientJack Kirnefor travel to Sardinia, Italy for a writer’s residency as well as to complete revisions of an unpublished novel manuscript
recipientAmy McQuire/specialistDatasets/BlackWords with Matt Chun (NSW), for travel to Tanna, Vanuatu for research, co-writing and artmaking for collaborative picture book project on the enslavement of Pacific Islanders in colonial Australia, aka ‘Blackbirding’
recipientMatt Chunwith Amy McQuire, for Matt Chun (NSW), for travel to Tanna, Vanuatu for research, co-writing and artmaking for collaborative picture book project on the enslavement of Pacific Islanders in colonial Australia, aka ‘Blackbirding’
recipientBrian Obiri-Asarefor travel to Ghana to undertake a residency and to engage in the study of West African theatrical form to further develop play-in-progress, Speak of the Devil
recipientStefan Sabatinifor travel to Ireland for research into a novel set in contemporary Dublin
recipientKaren Wyld/specialistDatasets/BlackWords for travel to Western Australia to research archives and exhibitions, experience immersive site visits and a self-hosted writer’s retreat, as well as travel to Philadelphia, USA to attend Palestine Writes and participate in mentoring with Palestinian novelist Susan Abulhawa.
recipientAlana Hicksto travel to Papua New Guinea for a self-hosted residency to develop the novel ‘Home Is a Foreign Country’.
recipientAlison J. Barton/specialistDatasets/BlackWords to travel to Germany to attend residencies, as well as conduct research and writing towards a full-length collection of poetry titled ‘Reise’.
recipientAna Brawlsto travel to Brazil to research historical and modern aspects of slavery in Brazil for literary work development.
recipientCarly Findlayto travel to South Africa to explore mother country and conduct research, as well as connect with key writing community contacts and human rights activists
recipientEda Gunaydinto travel to the United States to conduct a research trip towards a manuscript and second essay collection.
recipientEmily Bittoto travel to Slovakia and the Czech Republic to carry out research for a third novel, based on her father’s life.
recipientMicaela Sahharfor travel to Palestine to research and develop manuscript ‘Encyclopaedia of a Palestinian Family’
recipientYen Phamto attend the MFA in fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop
recipientSara Salehfor travel to Beirut for research on poetry manuscript ‘The Flirtation of Girls’
recipientRobert Woodfor travel to Singapore for career and community development.
recipientEunice Andradafor travel to California, New York and Chicago to perform in various venues, participate in radical community study sessions with members of the Digital Sala collective and to collaborate with others for future community literary offerings
recipientEugen Baconfor travel to Wagga Wagga to research her novel Serengotti (Transit Lounge)
recipientAndré Daofor travel to the UK for the book tour of his debut novel Anam (PRH), and to conduct preliminary research on his follow-up novel in Paris
recipientHasib Houranifor travel to the Levant to embark on a writing and research retreat for his upcoming book
recipientSimone Jordanfor travel to New York City to research her memoir Tell Her She’s Dreamin’
recipientKatrina Trinhfor travel to Brooklyn, New York, to research her upcoming drama/television series about the importance of nail salon work to Vietnamese diaspora
recipientDaniel Wardfor travel to Berlin to research their next poetry collection lavender poems, and to launch Natalie Mariko’s latest poetry collection.
Year: 2021
recipientAmanda Anastasito travel the Great Barrier Reef to write a series of poems to raise awareness of climate change impacts
recipientMadeline Grayto travel to Melbourne for professional development at the Melbourne Writers Festival
recipientShakira Husseinto undertake research in New Zealand for essay and memoir manuscript ‘Nine Elevenitis’
recipientMiranda Lubyto undertake research on Flinders Island for a contemporary young adult novel
recipientBrooke Maddisonfor a research trip to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for debut novel ‘drift’
recipientMarjon Mossammaparastto travel to Tasmania for research on a poetry collection
recipientMichael Ryanfor travel to Adelaide for a nonfiction book about the unsolved murder that led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Australia
recipientMichelle Scott Tuckerfor travel to Cairns and Bamaga to work with Aaron Fa’Aoso on his memoir
recipientMark Smithto travel to Albany, WA, for research for new adult novel, ‘Three Boys Gone’
recipientAnnabel Straffordto undertake a research trip to Perth and Wyndham for nonfiction book ‘The Wanted and the Unwanted’
recipientLowana Tudor-Smithfor travel to the Northern Territory for research for ‘Bina: First Nations languages old and new’
recipientKate Wildfor travel to Darwin and Yuendumu to cover the murder trial of a police officer for the fatal shooting of a Warlpiri man.
