The three‑month Fellowship will help advance her practice‑led research into how oral history transcripts can be used as narrative form in fiction.
Based on Bundjalung Country on the North Coast, Bronwyn is undertaking a Master of Philosophy at UNE that examines the fictional possibilities of oral histories in her thesis project, Listening in Fiction: Exploring Oral History as a Narrative Form, with supervisors Dr Ariella Van Luyn and Dr Gwyn McClelland.
A well‑regarded author, Bronwyn’s debut novel Time and Tide in Sarajevo (Affirm Press, 2022) was shortlisted for the 2023 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction.
The State Library’s Summer Fellows program is an initiative designed to support creative practitioners and tertiary students who want to work directly with archival materials. It offers successful applicants a dedicated workspace, and behind‑the‑scenes access to Library staff with deep expertise in historical and cultural collections. Fellows are expected to draw on the Library’s original materials with their work meaningfully advanced during the summer residency.
The Fellowship aligns neatly with Bronwyn’s research interests.
“The opportunity opens the door for me to learn from people with a working knowledge of oral histories. I’m keen to experience first-hand how these stories are gathered, held and interpreted. It also gives me a chance to work alongside other creatives and researchers who are exploring different corners of the Library’s collections. I’m delighted to have been selected for such an exciting opportunity.”
The Summer Fellows program is one of nine Fellowship categories offered by the State Library. The significant Fellowships program has supported researchers for over 50 years and continues to grow. This year the program has awarded $314,000 in research support. The announcements were made during the annual Coral Thomas Lecture, marking the beginning of the Library’s lead‑up to its 200th anniversary in 2026.
