For Writers
Varuna offer writers time and space to write in the ‘big yellow house’ in the Blue Mountains, with six writers-in-residence staying each week, benefiting from one-on-one mentorship, and the support of their peers. Writers can apply to stay at Varuna via one of our residency programs.
We also offer an extensive program of online masterclasses and intensives, designed to support writers to develop their craft, finish their project, and build connections. Unlike many other writing courses, Varuna masterclasses are by application, so that each of our online course groups is carefully curated with our expert facilitators.
Finally, we offer in-person workshops in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, throughout the year as well as during the Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival.
The Writer's Space Fellowships for Writers with Disability
Applications open May 2025
Six two-week residential fellowships will be offered to writers with disability and/or who are D/deaf.
Mastering Structure through Character Arcs
Applications open June 2025
Designed for writers of all levels, genres and narrative art forms, this 12-session masterclass with BAFTA award-winning screenwriter and author Anthony Mullins will show you how to craft an authentic and powerful narrative structure.
Crafting Knockout Scenes with Brooke Robinson
Applications open August 2025
Scenes are the building blocks of novels, plays, screenplays, short stories, and even works of creative non-fiction. This 8-week program with Brooke Robinson will sharpen your writing to create truly powerful scenes.
2025 Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival
Save the Date
The Blue Mountains Writers’ Festival returns 31 October - 2 November 2025.
WestWords Varuna Emerging Writers Residency
Applications open 2 May 2025
The WestWords Varuna Fellowship offers four emerging writers from diverse backgrounds from Western Sydney the opportunity of a week-long residency, supported throughout the week by mentors.
Cove Park International Fellowship
Applications are now closed
Varuna alumni are eligible to apply for a four-week residency at Cove Park, Scotland, with the opportunity to present at Wigtown Book Festival.
International Lamplight Online Fellowship - Ireland
Applications now closed
Held in collaboration with the Irish Writers Centre, this online fellowship connects writers from Ireland and Australia, with mentorship, networking and peer feedback, plus Q&As with Pip Williams and Penguin Random House publisher Meredith Curnow.
The Art of Dialogue with Mary Anne Butler
Applications close 9 June
This 8-week online program drills down deeply into how to craft dialogue on the page, ensuring that each of your character’s voices is unique, shaping their distinct speech patterns, and working on questions about who speaks, and when.
Writing with Heart and Humour with Rick Morton
Applications close 18 June
This eight-session masterclass for writers in any genre will develop your skills in positioning yourself as an observer, and bringing nuance and humour to the story you would most like to tell.
The Writer’s Space Writing Group - Lithgow
Registrations now closed
The Writer’s Space Writing Group is being held in Lithgow at the Lithgow Transformation Hub for the first time in 2025, offering a free, six-week writing program to writers with disability. Writers at all levels of experience and working in any genre are welcome. Spaces limited to 12.
Varuna Climate Fellowship
Applications will open soon
Writers focused on climate change and the environment are invited to apply for a week-long residency, with the opportunity to network and connect with others working across literature, academia, journalism, grassroots organising and activism.