The New Zealand literary community and Victoria University have again benefited from the philanthropy of Victoria
University friend and American businessman, Glenn Schaeffer.
Bill Manhire, Poet and Co-Director of the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) based at Victoria University
today announced the launch and inaugural recipients of two new Modern Letters Fellowships. The Fellowships will be
awarded annually to graduates of Victoria’s Creative Writing Programme and are each worth US$10,000. In the future
recipients of the Fellowship awards may also be offered the opportunity to join the world-famous Writers' Workshop in
Iowa.
The inaugural Modern Letters Fellowship award winners are Kate Duignan and Tim Corballis who both graduated with
Distinction from the Victoria University MA in Creative Writing, part of the International Institute of Modern Letters.
Victoria University Press has published first novels from both of the recipients this year, Kate Duignan with
"Breakwater" being launched today (September 6th) and "Below" by Tim Corballis which was launched in July.
According to Bill Manhire the value of the Fellowships is substantial in New Zealand terms. "The Fellowships offer
significant support and come with no tags or conditions. They simply represent a gift of time and opportunity”, he said.
Unlike many other literary awards, the two Fellowships will be awarded to individual writers and not as prizes for
particular works.
Fergus Barrowman, Victoria University Press Publisher “can't remember the last time two such good first novels came out
in the same year. What's really exciting, though, is that both novels give you the sense of a young writer who will go
on to write even better books.” Mr Barrowman believes the gifting of the Fellowships is “an inspired investment in the
future of New Zealand fiction.”
In March this year Mr Schaeffer initiated and provided funding for the $60,000 Prize in Modern Letters, a biennial award
which aims to acknowledge and advance the work of emerging New Zealand writers. At the same time the International
Institute of Modern Letters was formed. Based at Victoria University’s Kelburn campus the IIML incorporates New
Zealand’s oldest and most prestigious Creative Writing Programme.