Congratulations to Celeste Wong and Mel Bakewell, who have each been awarded a 2026 Writers SA Varuna Fellowship!
The fellowships provide writers with time, writing space, and consultation to work on their writing in a dedicated writers’ retreat at Varuna, the National Writers’ House, in the beautiful Country of the Darug and Gundungurra peoples in the Blue Mountains.
Each residency is two weeks of mostly self-directed quiet writing time, and includes accommodation and meals, uninterrupted time to write in a private work space, the companionship of fellow writers, and a consult with one of Varuna’s writing consultants.
Fellowships were awarded based on the quality of the support material, the ambition and potential of the project, and the impact of the opportunity on the writer.
Celeste Wong is a Chinese Malaysian Australian, a proudly autistic and queer teacher who moonlights as a writer in an attempt to make sense of the chaotic reality we live in. As a first-generation migrant, ideas of belonging and culture being used as a political football form a large part of what keeps her awake at night. Celeste is currently working on a historical fiction manuscript depicting the lives of Chinese women in Australia.
This gift of time and space is invaluable, and this opportunity at Varuna is exactly that. The magic of Varuna allows the writer to take a moment from the real world in order for ideas to form and crystallise, which is especially rare in the hamster wheel of modern life. Additionally, the acknowledgement of the validity of a project reinforces the power of voice, which is especially needed in recent times. Thank you to Varuna and Writers SA for this opportunity! – Celeste Wong
Mel Bakewell is an emerging writer, independent audio producer and artist based on Kaurna Yarta. Her writing has been published in Kill Your Darlings, Overland Journal and Debris, and her audio work broadcast by ABC RN, The Wheeler Centre and across Australia on the Community Radio Network. In 2026, she is the writer in residence at The Mill x CityMag, and in 2025 was supported to attend Faber Academy’s Writing The Essay short course.
I’ve known many amazing writers who have raved about their Varuna residencies, and am delighted to follow in their tracks. As a carer, this opportunity will make a huge difference to kickstart a project I haven’t had dedicated time or space to breathe life into and I can’t wait to get started. – Mel Bakewell
Congratulations to Celeste and Mel, we look forward to hearing about your experience later in the year!
