Announcing the 2026 SRB First Nations Critique Residency Writers

A big thank you to everyone who expressed interest in the 2026 SRB First Nations Critique Residency program – a new initiative that aims to support critical engagement with creative work that is grounded in cultural rigour. In their commitment to critiquing the literary and institutional forms framing First Nations writing, the applications spoke eloquently to the importance of such engagement.

We’re delighted to announce that the inaugural recipients of the SRB’s First Nations Critique Residency are: Alice Bellette, Darby Jones, and Matt Wildig. Congratulations!

ALICE BELLETTE

Alice Bellette is a Palawa descendant, writer, and researcher who lives and works on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Boonwurrung Country. She holds a PhD in Australian literature. Her writing has appeared in Griffith Review, Sydney Review of Books, Australian Poetry Journal, Meanjin, Cordite Poetry Review, Arena Quarterly, and ACMI Stories & Ideas.

DARBY JONES

Darby Jones is a writer and editor based in Magandjin/Brisbane. He is a proud alumnus of the black&write! Indigenous Writing and Editing Project and the Open Book Internship, and has dedicated his career to diversifying the publishing industry. He is the Editorial Assistant at Griffith Review and a bookseller at Cursive Knives.

MATT WILDIG

Matt Wildig is a Palawa writer who lives on Gundungurra Country. A winner of the Varuna Residency Prize, he is currently a Master of Research candidate within the Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University. His writing has featured in the Powerhouse’s ‘Parramatta Profiles’ series, and his stories inject speculative fiction into the heart of Parramatta and Western Sydney .

We would also like to thank our partners, the Whitlam Institute, for their support of the program and making it possible for the residents to be housed at the Whitlam House in Cabramatta.