Imagine starting every day with a phone call from an Australian writer sharing one of their favourite pieces of their own writing with you. Imagine transforming those boring moments in queues or on the train by putting your phone to your ear and hearing a writer share their highest aspirations, thoughts and feelings with you. Imagine a crash course introduction to 365 Australian writers in one year. Imagine the Varuna Writer-a-Day iPhone app.
Varuna has received Australia Council funding to produce an “app” for iPhones, iPads, Android phones and web, and all Varuna alumni are being asked to be part of it. Each day for a year, a different writer will read from their work (up to 2.5 minutes each) and this will be linked to the text of what you’re hearing, a photo of the writer, the writer’s bio and live links on the “app”. Varuna’s CEO Lis Bastian is pictured above making the first sample recording to give an idea of what writers are being asked to do. Instead of reading from her own writing she’s reading from Eleanor Dark’s Lantana Lane:
To help fund this project (and future exciting projects in the pipeline) only financial alumni members will be recorded for this first “app”. To make this more accessible, Varuna has extended the cheaper early bird rate for joining alumni until the 1st August.
To be part of the “app” online applications can be made by clicking here.
The “app” will be available from Varuna and the iTunes store by the end of the year (estimated price $1.99).
Love this! It’s such a brilliant idea. Thanks!
Our pleasure – it’s an absolute delight discovering what everyone’s writing!
I’ll give it a go, I think. Thanks for such an inspirational sharing of our writerly voices.