November 6, 2023

Our 2023 Senior-in-Residence Cindy Solonec formally wrapped up her residency with Centre for Stories this month, having worked with us for 3 months to begin the manuscript of her next novel.

The Senior or Elder-in-Residence program was made entirely possible by community donors and is an opportunity for writers over 60 years old to continue their practice in our heritage building with the support of a $3000 stipend.

Nigena author of the family memoir ‘Debesa (Magabala Books)’, Cindy used her residency with Centre for Stories to begin researching and writing her next novel which will be a fiction inspired by the mysterious relocation of a 13 year old Nigena (Nyikina) woman to Pinjarra in the early 1900s. As oral history is so limited, she felt the historical fiction genre would be the best medium for telling this story.

“To have been offered the 2023 Senior Writer in Residence role at the Centre for Stories, for which I am grateful, was uplifting on several levels,” says Cindy. “Not only has the opportunity motivated me to tackle my own research more intensely but I enjoyed being in the company of like-minded people.”

While writing her novel, Cindy ran a ‘Writing Your Family History’ memoir workshop that was well attended and highly successful. She also mentored several emerging writers from First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including Lakshmi Kanchi, Jo Abraham, Casey Mulder, and Nadia Heisler.

Cindy is thrilled to share that she will continue her mentor/mentee relationship with with at least one emerging writer beyond her formal residency.

“I was fortunate to meet budding writers, in conversation, after having read their works in progress. This aspect is ongoing beyond the residency,” shares Cindy.

Her work to complete her novel is still ongoing and Cindy will continue her research at the State Library of Western Australia and in other archives. We wish her the best of luck.

You can become a Community Donor and support programs like this one here. Centre for Stories is a small not-for-profit charity organisation and we rely in part on your support. Thank you.

Feature image: Cindy Solonec, photo by Simeon Neo (2023).