Young Adult writer Polly Jude from Cumbalum, near Ballina, has been selected as the Writer in Residence at the Literary Allsorts mini-fest next month.
Polly’s manuscript Sherwood Road deals with themes of domestic violence, mental health, first love, and empathy and truth. She left a big impression on this year’s judges Hayley Lawrence and Jarrah Dundler.
Jarrah said Sherwood Road has sparse but effective prose, with a compelling plot, a page-turning narrative, and rich characters.
“With the themes Polly is tackling, I also think it’s a brave work and one of those YA novels that will appeal to both teenage and adult audiences,” he said.
As part of the Writer in Residence program, Polly receives two weeks accommodation in Kyogle, a stipend of $2000, and support from YA author Hayley Lawrence to develop her manuscript.
Hayley has published five YA novels in the past six years and has received many awards for her writing.
Polly said the residence is an incredible opportunity to be a real writer.
“I am thrilled to be able to work with Hayley and with her support I hope to focus on structure and the second voice used in Sherwood Road. I hope we can sort out some of the issues I’ve been having with an unreliable narrator, and work towards getting the manuscript to a publishable standard,” Polly said.
Literary Allsorts is happening in Kyogle on Friday, June 13–Saturday, June 14 and includes writers Nam Le, Peter Greste, Jesse Cole, Daniel Browning and Chris Hanley.
The program and tickets are available here.
Polly Jude is on a panel in conversation with Hayley Lawrence and Jarrah Dundler on Friday, June 13 at 4:30pm at the Roxy Gallery.
The Writer in Residence program is funded by Kyogle Council.
The information in this story was provided by KRAW.