The third Max Margles Writing Residency in Ireland is now open for applications!
Deadline to apply: 5:00 pm EDT, Monday, April 22, 2024.
About the Max Margles Writing Residency
In Fall 2024, an English-language fiction writer will travel from Quebec to Ireland for the third Max Margles Writing Residency, following in the footsteps of Heather O’Neill (2023) and Tracey Waddleton (2022).
The successful applicant will spend three weeks at the prestigious Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerrig, Co Monaghan, Ireland. The dates of the residency are from October 11 to November 1, 2024.
Established in 1981, the Tyrone Guthrie Centre is Ireland’s foremost artistic residency centre. The Annaghmakerrig ‘Big House’ has eleven private bedrooms, and offers residencies to international artists in all disciplines, from literature to dance, music to theatre. The 2024 Max Margles Writer-in-Residence will have peace and quiet to fully concentrate on their creative project.
The residency covers:
- Round-trip flights from Montreal, Quebec to Ireland, and travel to the Centre
- Accommodation & meals
- A stipend of $2,300 CAD
- Incidental expenses ($35 per day)
- Travel and medical insurance
The successful applicant will be asked to write one short blog post during their residency for publication on the QWF website, and one blog post on their return to Quebec.
The Quebec Writers’ Federation is delighted to partner with the Irish Writers’ Centre and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre on this project. We are grateful to Mrs. Roslyn Margles for making it possible.
Timeline
- Applications open: Monday, March 18, 2024
- Application deadline: Monday, April 22, 2024, 5:00 pm EDT
- Announcement of successful participant: end of May 2024
- Residency begins: Friday, October 11, 2024
- Residency ends: Friday, November 1, 2024
- Debrief: November 2024
The 2024 Residence: The Tyrone Guthrie Centre
The Quebec Writers’ Federation is delighted to partner with the prestigious Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Annaghmakerrig, County Monaghan, for the 2024 Max Margles Writing Residency.
The Tyrone Guthrie Centre was established in 1981 and is Ireland’s foremost artistic residency centre. The Annaghmakerrig or “Big House” has eleven private bedrooms and offers residencies to international artists in all disciplines, from literature and dance to music and theatre.
Eligibility Criteria
The 2024 Max Margles Writing Residency is open to Quebec-based fiction writers with a writing practice primarily in English. No history of publication is required. Candidates will be considered on the strength of their applications and evidence that the residency will be of particular benefit to the writer at this time in their career.
There is no fee to apply for the residency, although applicants must be QWF members in good standing.
The successful candidate must:
- Be at least 21 years old on the day of the application deadline.
- Be a QWF member in good standing at the time of application. Learn how to become a QWF member. If you face financial barriers or have any other questions about becoming a QWF member, please contact Riley Palanca, Membership Services Coordinator, at riley@qwf.org
- Have a residence in Quebec and have had a residence in Quebec for at least 12 months before the application deadline. A person who has been living outside of Quebec continuously for the past five years will be considered ineligible
- Be able to travel freely to and from Canada and Ireland, and is responsible for their own visa and immigration status.
- Be able to provide evidence of a past writing practice conducted substantially in the English language
- Translation projects are not eligible
- Employees, current board members, and immediate families of employees or board members of the Quebec Writers’ Federation are not eligible to apply
- Flights are non-transferable and may only be used by the successful applicant for the Max Margles Residency. If the applicant wishes to travel independently outside of the residency period, QWF will not be responsible for any external travel costs
- The successful applicant must be able to commit to being resident in accommodation in Ireland for the full three weeks of the residency
How to Apply
All applications are to be made via Submittable.
Please prepare and upload a single Word or PDF document, with your first name, last name, and “Max_Margles_2024_Application in the title, containing the following components:
- A one-page writing CV
- A statement of your approach to writing, career, notable achievements, and/or future goals (max 500 words)
- An outline of what you hope to work on during the residency: this can be conceptualization, research, starting a new project or continuing an existing one, etc. (max 300 words). Please note that the project or work of the residency does not need to be connected to Ireland.
- Why the residency will be beneficial to you at this particular point in your career. (max 300 words)
- A writing sample (max 10 pages double spaced).
If you have any accessibility-related questions, such as about the physical accessibility of the residency space or applying with young children, please contact the QWF office at 514-933-0878.
About Max Margles
Max Margles loved to read. He was an in-depth reader, seeking out books that were well-written and engrossing, relevant and meaningful. He kept two Rolodex files – one arranged by author, the other arranged by title. On these small cards, in his meticulous printing (he was a structural engineer), he summarized the nature of the book, the plot, and his eloquent assessment of the work.
When Max died suddenly in 2004, his widow Roslyn looked for projects to endow in Max’s memory. Since the couple have no children, Roslyn carries on this mandate with vigour and pride. She established a Max Margles Endowment Fund at the Jewish Public Library in Montreal, sponsoring an annual lecture by outstanding literary authors. Recent guests have included Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Salman Rushdie, with Ian McEwan and Colson Whitehead coming to read in 2020.
The project will keep Max’s memory alive, provide an opportunity for Quebec writers to spend meaningful time in a space in which they can contemplate and create, and support a significant new contribution to English-language culture in Quebec.