The Sydney Review of Books is delighted to partner with the Bankstown Arts Centre on a digital writers’ residency as part of Symbiosis: Bankstown Biennale 2020. This residency will be an opportunity for three writers to develop original essays for publication on the Sydney Review of Books. Symbiosis will bring together artists whose practice reflects on ways to facilitate individual, collective and civic responsibility for global sustainability; this is a rare opportunity for three writers to develop new work for presentation alongside some of Western Sydney’s most vibrant artists.
Applications close on 28 August 2020. Please apply via Submittable.
About Symbiosis
Bankstown Arts Centre asks artists to examine recent crises impacting us locally and globally and to consider them as an opportunity for transformative change.
Recent crises such as Covid-19, nationwide bushfires and economic collapse, have rendered it clearer than ever just how absolutely interdependent we are upon each other, but also upon species other than our own.
How do we use this opportunity to go beyond an anthropocentric world view, where our species has been the dominant influence on life on earth? How can we transform our actions to benefit other species, climate and the environment?
How do we hold onto lessons learnt through lockdown, about the importance of our backyards, local neighbourhoods, parks, public spaces and local waterways such as the Cooks and Georges Rivers? What can we learn from Indigenous and traditional cultural ways of caring for place and country? How can we collectively further ways to nurture and care for social and environmental connectedness?
Find out more about the artists presenting new work at the Bankstown Biennale here.
How to apply
To apply, please send us a one page expression of interest outlining the essay you’d like to write, and a brief cover letter that maps your writing experience and suitability for this project. Although there is no physical in-residence component to this digital residency, applicants from Western Sydney, or those who are able to demonstrate a strong connection to the Bankstown area, will be prioritised. Please apply via Submittable.
Three successful applicants will refine their proposal with the SRB editor before taking up the residency. Applicants will have a weekly meeting with the SRB editor to develop their work and workshop its process. Applicants will be expected to submit a final draft of a 2500-word essay by the end of September. Successful applicants will be paid $1000 for their work, which will be showcased as part of Symbiosis, the Bankstown Biennale 2020.
The applications will be read and judged by a selection panel composed of SRB and Bankstown Arts Centre representatives.
Key dates
Expressions of interest close: 28 August
Writer notified: 31 August
Residency: 1-30 September
Essay submission date: 30 September
Bankstown Biennale: 10 October – 21 November 2020
Please email us at editor@sydneyreviewofbooks.com if you have any queries. Apply via Submittable.
