Faber Academy at Allen & Unwin

Press Release

 

Allen & Unwin is delighted to partner with Faber Academy to bring Faber and Faber’s successful program of creative writing courses from the UK to Sydney, beginning in March 2011.

Allen & Unwin has acted as Faber’s publishing partner in Australia and New Zealand for a number of years. This new program of practical and inspirational creative writing courses will appeal to both established and emerging writers.

Robert Gorman, CEO of Allen & Unwin, says: ‘We are thrilled to launch such an innovative and groundbreaking program in Australia. Allen & Unwin has a longstanding and close relationship with Faber and we greatly look forward to this new stage in our partnership.’

Becky Fincham, Head of Faber Academy, explains: ‘It seems such a natural move to bring Faber Academy to Sydney, a city with such a vibrant, energetic literary community and to run the courses in partnership with Allen & Unwin, Faber’s home in Australia. There is such a wealth of talent in Australia and Faber Academy is keen to nurture it’.

Edwina Johnson has been appointed as Academy Manager to oversee operations in Sydney and to develop the program. Edwina co-directed FestivalandCo (Shakespeare & Co literary festival, Paris) in 2008, is a former publicist for Allen & Unwin and was Artistic Operations Manager for Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2006/2007.

Since launching its first course at Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris in 2008, Faber Academy has tutored more than 700 students in courses ranging from a one day workshop, ‘The Art of Publication’ to a six month course, ‘Writing a Novel’.

To date, Faber Academy has given the opportunity for writers to benefit first-hand from authors such as Jeanette Winterson, Louise Doughty, Orhan Pamuk, Kazuo Ishiguro, (pic right, David Levene, The Guardian),  Blake Morrison, Helen Dunmore, Margaret Atwood, Miriam Toews and Hanif Kureishi.

Faber Academy at Allen & Unwin will launch the program with a six month selective course called ‘Writing a Novel’ directed by acclaimed authors Kathryn Heyman and James Bradley. ‘Writing a Novel’ is a practical course for writers who are ready to make the leap into creating a full length work of fiction.

Kathryn Heyman says: ‘I'm excited to be part of this new addition to Sydney literary culture. Faber Academy has developed acclaimed, craft-based writing courses in London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin and Toronto and it’s wonderful that we can now add Sydney to the list. There's something very thrilling about watching a writer find their voice and move from an idea to the development of a whole novel. It is the focus on a writer's work, and on real craft skills, which distinguishes Faber Academy courses.’

The course includes guest seminars by David Malouf, (pic left, The Australian), Malcolm Knox, Kate Grenville, Charlotte Wood and other writers as well as agents and publishers.

There are 30 places in the ‘Writing a Novel’ course. Writers will be taught in two groups of 15, one with Kathryn Heyman and one with James Bradley. Classes will be held at Allen & Unwin’s offices in Sydney and will consist of two hours one evening a week plus six Saturdays over the six month course.

For full course details go to:
www.allenandunwin.com/faberacademy
or http://www.faberacademy.co.uk/