Sarah Laing will enjoy a five-month residency at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland, taking up tenure in August. In addition to the residency Sarah will receive a $20,000 grant, allowing her to focus full time on her current writing projects.
Buddle Findlay National Chairman, Peter Chemis, says the writers will be following a distinguished tradition, as the apartment has been a working refuge for many of the best-known names in New Zealand literature.“The list of writers who have been given the opportunity to work free of distractions for the 12 years we have been the sponsor reflects the Fellowship’s role in fostering New Zealand’s literary tradition. We are proud of our involvement in that.”
Sarah Laing will be using her time in the centre to work on her upcoming novel White Light and other projects. Her novel Dead People’s Music was published last April and she has also published a collection of short stories, Coming Up Roses, in 2007. In 2006 she won the Sunday Star-Times short story competition, and in 2008 she was a writer in residence at the Michael King Writers Centre in Devonport.
The Sargeson Fellowship was established in 1987 to commemorate Frank Sargeson and provide assistance for New Zealand writers. It aims to offer outstanding writers the opportunity to write full time, free from financial pressure. Buddle Findlay has sponsored the fellowship since 1997.
Last year’s Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellows were writers Steve Braunias and Julian Novitz.
For more information, visit the Buddle Findlay website.