We are thrilled to announce that Etta Bollinger and Helen Lehndorf are our two inaugural home-based residency recipients.
Henrietta Bollinger
Henrietta Bollinger (they/them) is a Pākehā writer and activist, born and based in Te Whanganui a Tara, Wellington. Etta writes in a number of forms. They have had plays staged here and overseas and poetry published in Aotearoa and Australia. During their studies at Te Herenga Waka University, they established the Salient column Token Cripple with a focus on disability rights. Their first book, Articulations, was published in 2023 by Tender Press.
They will use the Verb Home-Based Writers residency to explore a family connection to 1920-30s trans and queer history via their German heritage. A concentrated piece of a wider project with the working title Otherworldly Children. They first presented on this idea in their 2024 Peter Wells Memorial Lecture at the Same Same But Different Festival. Photo of Etta by Roxy Coervers.
Helen Lehndorf
Helen Lehndorf is a writer and writing teacher who grew up in Taranaki and now lives in the Manawatū. She has published three books, A Forager's Life (Harper Collins), Write to the Centre (Haunui Press) and The Comforter (Seraph Press). Her poetry and essays have been published widely in literary journals and anthologies. She loves to activate projects in the community arts and environmental sectors, and is a food resilience and food localisation activist. She writes regularly at www.helenlehndorf.com
Verb is delighted to offer a three-week residency to support a writer to complete a residency at home. This residency is particularly for writers who are not able to travel due to personal reasons, such as those with accessibility needs and/or those with young children or care giving commitments. Writers from across Aotearoa are eligible to apply (including those based in Wellington).
Dates
The residency dates will be decided with the recipient/s.
Where
At home.
Stipend
$1,300 per week (gst included).
Mentoring
Verb is pleased to offer an option of tailored mentoring for the successful recipient/s. Mentoring will be for up to 8 hours and could be for any element of the project, as decided by the resident/s and mentor.
Verb will match the successful recipient/s with a mentor who best suits them.
Further information
Please note there is a $10 application fee when you apply (via the application button, above). If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.