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Life in literature: Hazel Rowley Fellowship

Profile of Dom O'Donnell
Written by Dom O'DonnellPosted on 14/11/2024
Life in literature: Hazel Rowley Fellowship

Established through Australian Communities Foundation in memory of the acclaimed biographer Hazel Rowley (1951–2011), the Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship has championed the art of biography in Australia for over a decade.

Now in its 14th year, this Fellowship offers a $20,000 grant each year, enabling an Australian writer to delve into research and development for a new biographical work.

“The Fellowship is one of few that focuses on biography and life-writing,” explains Della Rowley, Hazel’s sister, who established the Fellowship with three of Hazel’s close friends, Lynn Buchanan, Irene Tomaszewski, and John Murphy.

It is very hard to make a living from writing and the arts in Australia, so philanthropy is important in encouraging and helping people write books outside the academic field.

“We’ve been thrilled to see how the Fellowship has supported writers at a critical time in their projects. Nine of our recipients have achieved publication, with a number being shortlisted for and indeed winning significant literary awards, including the National Biography Award,” says Della.

“It is very hard to make a living from writing and the arts in Australia,” notes Della, “and so philanthropy is important in encouraging and helping people write books outside the academic field.”

The impact of the Fellowship over the past year has been clear. Among recent highlights, 2017 Fellow Ann-Marie Priest’s My Tongue is My Own: A Life of Gwen Harwood won both the 2023 National Biography Award and the 2024 Magarey Medal for Biography. Matthew Lamb’s Frank Moorhouse: Strange Paths (2023) also emerged as an acclaimed work.

It’s been a revelation how much you can achieve with small amounts of money and lots of goodwill.

“It is no exaggeration to say that this publication would have been impossible without the Fellowship’s support,” says Matthew.

As the Fellowship’s profile continues to grow, Della says it is always a delight to reflect on its evolution.

“Along the way, we’ve created valuable partnerships, including with Australian Communities Foundation. Partnering with ACF gave us tax-deductibility and meant ACF would invest and manage the money for us. This has freed us up to concentrate on doing the core work of the Fellowship and ACF has done a magnificent job.

“It’s been a revelation how much you can achieve with small amounts of money and lots of goodwill.”

The Fellowship, administered by Writers Victoria, is open to Australian writers of biography or writers working on an aspect of cultural or social history compatible with Hazel’s own interests (see hazelrowley.com). The Fellowship encourages writers to immerse themselves in their subject’s life and culture. The award may be used to fund research or travel, develop a new proposal or progress a manuscript for submission to potential publishers.

Applications for the 2025 Fellowship have just closed, and will be judged by Clare Wright and Christos Tsiolkas who will join Della Rowley and Lynn Buchanan on the panel. The 2025 Fellow will be announced in March 2025 at Adelaide Writers’ Week.

Feature image: Members of the Hazel Rowley Fellowship Committee (L–R): Lynn Buchanan, Irene Tomaszewski, and Della Rowley.

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