2018 Mentees Announced

Congratulations to the recipients of our 2018 Residential Mentorship. Four mentees will join Marele Day for a 5-day immersive writing experience in the beautiful Byron hinterland this May. We look forward to seeing their works progress!

Nick Couldwell, from Byron Bay, for his manuscript titled Calluses

Richard Everist, from Suffolk Park, for his manuscript titled Loot

Nella May, from Valla, for her manuscript titled Seeds

Robert Walker, from Banora Point, for his manuscript titled The Accidental Hero

About the program

The mentorship provides five days in a glorious Byron shire location with accommodation and meals provided, one-on-one mentoring with Marele Day and the company of three other committed writers.  It’s an experience that many have described as life-changing, a time to forge lasting friendships and discover what lies at the heart of your work.

This is an outstanding opportunity to participate in a writing experience that has already proved to be a launch pad for regional writers. Established in 2001, the roll call of past participants who are now published authors continues to grow every year. You can see them all and read testimonials about the residential mentorship experience on our Alumni Successes page.

About the mentor

Marele Day has been the mentor for the program for the past seventeen years and will be taking this role again in 2017. Marele is the author of four crime novels – The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender; The Case of the Chinese Boxes; The Last Tango of Dolores Delgado and The Disappearances of Madalena Grimaldi as well as a collection of crime-comedy stories, Mavis Levack, PI.  Other novels include the best-selling Lambs of God, which was published to international acclaim with film rights optioned by Twentieth Century Fox; Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of the Captain’s Wife; and most recently The Sea Bed.  She is a highly experienced speaker, teacher and mentor, and has won several awards, including the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.