Mike Riddell instigated the idea of administering a writer’s residency in Oturehua.
The idea was to offer a generously donated package of house and stipend to a writer or writers over 12 winter weeks in the hope that they would find inspiration in this grand landscape as well as the support of a group of committed writers who have made this village their home.
Mike died suddenly in March 2022, before the first residency took place. The residency was named after him.
The inaugural residents last year were Tim Higham for six weeks in July and August, and Rhian Gallagher for the remaining six weeks from August through to September.
The Under Rough Ridge Writers’ Retreat Trustees offer a six or 12-week residency in the village.
The residency includes the exclusive use of the house and a weekly stipend of $1000 during the stay. The house, built in 2012, sits in the centre of the village, three doors from the pub and store.
It has three bedrooms, a bathroom, garage, BBQ, woodburner and heat pump.
Power, internet, and firewood are covered by the residency.
In 2023, the dates for a 12-week stay will be July 1 to September 23. Or, for a 6-week stay, they will be July 1 to August 12 or August 19 to September 30.
Applications for the residency close on April14.
The trustees invite applications from serious writers of proven literary merit in the genres of fiction, nonfiction or poetry.
Proven literary merit means having published at least one book as well as a body of work in recognised publications.
The residency is intended for writers for whom the stipend and the opportunity to dedicate several months to working on a specified project will represent a life-changing benefit.
It is therefore likely that the successful applicant will be an emerging or mid-career writer.
Applicants should be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents actually living in this country, and be at least 35 years old.
The theme of this year’s Under Rough Ridge Writers’ Retreat is history and heritage across genres. Consequently, the preference for the trust would be for the successful candidate to have history and heritage as the theme of their work.
There is the possibility for the residency to be shared between two people for six weeks each.
Each resident has to write a report about their time in the village and their writing project at the end of their stay.
The residency cannot be held concurrently with any other literary grant.
