Writer to break out of ‘creative rut’ at festival residency

ABOVE: Nadia Johansen is the writer in residence at Kyogle Writers Festival in May. Photo: Contributed

Writer Nadia Johansen said she was ecstatic when she was named the Kyogle Writers Festival’s Writer in Residence.

“Like a lot of creatives, the stress and uncertainty of the past few years has left me exhausted and uninspired, Nadia said.

“I was finding it very difficult to write so I applied for the residency to help break out of my creative rut.

Last year’s writer in residence was Jarrah Dundler, author of Hey Brother.

Nadia said because of her residency appointment she could already feel her creative spark coming back.

“The past few days I’ve woken up early in the morning with ideas for stories pouring out of my head (and I’ve been desperately trying to capture them before they disappear),” she said.

“Just knowing that I will soon have dedicated time and space to work on these ideas away from the stresses and responsibilities of my day-to-day life is helping me feel much more relaxed and inspired.”

Nadia is a Gungarri writer and editor from Mitchell in south-west Queensland who is living on unceded Jagera and Turrubal land.

During the residency, Nadia is hoping to develop several ideas into fully formed short stories then cajole those into a manuscript.

“Exploring ideas with people interested in books and storytelling is a great way to get my own creativity flowing.

“Plus, Kyogle is a beautiful town built on gorgeous Country and I’m excited to explore that as well.”

Residencies like this are important for all writers but for me as an emerging writer this will help me to get more work out in the world and move forward with my writing journey, Nadia said.

As a writer, Nadia is interested in Indigenous Futurism and how the stories we tell shape our past, present and futures.

She is in her final year of a degree in creative writing.

The full Kyogle Writers Festival program is packed with events. Check it out and buy your tickets.