Bundanon Group Retreat Emerging & Established Writers
In April, seven emerging and established writers were given the opportunity to come together as a group and work together to inspire inspiration and creativity amongst themselves.
Surrounded by 1,000 hectares of stunning landscape, the group got to experience the inspiration that the Bundanon homestead inspires. Created by Arthur and Yvonne Boyds’ dedication to art and the interactions between nature and human creativity, Bundanon prides itself as a place for innovation for those within the creative arts, and scientific research all whilst providing its guests with an opportunity to learn more about its rich Indigenous culture.
Reflections from the writers
“The Bundanon Residency allowed me to separate from the triviality of day to day tasks which sees a time thief sneak in to my life and steal my writing time away. After a week, I had my work-in-progress historical novel restructured and refocused into a coherent whole. All ready for further tweaking and tightening.
Combined with the inspiration of a daily meet up with fellow writers, the entire Bundanon experience was a creative high.”
“The residency at Bundanon is definitely worth it. The accommodation is comfortable, the grounds and surrounds are spectacular and the quiet promotes the best available space to write and think. I managed to get a lot of quite fiddly work done and am now at a stage where I have been able to clear a path forward with the novel. The afternoon sessions were invaluable, to meet and talk on writerly subjects with our peers. Don’t be shy and towards the end of the week, make sure you share some dinner with the group.
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“I was working on my book about the Kellners and at the time of the residency playing with the idea of fictionalising the story of a chess champion who kills her husband and then herself in the manner of a chess game: the king is dead and the queen follows in a queen sacrifice. A residency gives you the chance to play with ideas in a safe space away from home, where your only obligation is to the creative process itself. Bundanon is a place of beauty where creativity has long been celebrated and generously supported. The accommodation was very comfortable, the surrounding fields full of kangaroos and wallabies, and the river deep and swift! An idyllic experience, apart from the road in. Since leaving Bundanon, the many words I wrote there have been transformed into a non-fiction book, with some serious research added, a publisher interested and high hopes for the outcome, still a few months away but very promising. I would recommend it to anyone serious about writing!”
“Getting away from my own cluttered desk and all the distractions I allow to divert me from writing at home was a treat. It provided me with space to unclutter my mind under the meditative influence of the beautiful Bundanon site, as well as the stimulating company—and culinary delights—of other creatives. Since the 2022 Bundanon retreat, I’ve made steady progress on my manuscript and, with the support of my Boundless mentor, Larissa Behrendt, I may have finally addressed the problem of how to structure a novel that covers seven decades and several points of view. ”
“Bundanon was a golden place, walking solo in nature every day, discovering plenty of room to spread out my work and allow my thoughts to unfold. I met with other writers and took time out to consider the structure of my manuscript. Afterwards, I published an extract in a major publication and left with a new sense of direction for my work. ”
“My residency allowed me to learn from colleagues as we shared ideas, work practices and meals in a gloriously wombat-rich location. At Bundanon I focussed on writing new work, and finalising a poetry collection – my response to my lived experiences of the NYE 2019-20 bushfires.
On my 2nd last day at Bundanon, I submitted five ‘bushfire’ poems, worked on that week, to Island Journal. Since then I have submitted work to another nine journals, anthologies or competitions, with most results still pending.
Prior to Bundanon, I submitted a shorter version of my manuscript to the ‘Flying Islands Manuscript Prize for Emerging Poets’, where it reached the long list from over 50 entries. A longer post-Bundanon version of the manuscript has been submitted to further competitions, and I have plans to submit it to publishers before the end of 2022.
I have also created a suite of new works, including longer prose poems, as a response to the ‘Look Listen Share’ afternoons for seniors (aka Tea Cake & Yarn) organised by Shoalhaven Arts & Health. Some of this work will be published in the SCWC Anthology 2022.”
Written by: Tao Gower-Jones
