Casa Morphosi - HOSTING

Application Process

We currently focus on Australian writer guests. Each year we welcome six writers to stay for up to a month each:

1-2 established writers with international sales potential selected by Ponder & See
1 playwright/screenwriter MFA student selected by NIDA
3-4 emerging or established writers selected via the below process.

The 2027-2028 eligibility criteria and selection process for the 3-4 emerging and established writers is described below. We will continue to review this approach every year or so, to make sure it attracts and supports talented writers/artists who value the time and space to write.

2027 July, Emerging Writer residency: Open to those writers who have been awarded one of the following Australian literary honours for emerging writers during 2025 and/or 2026:

Shortlisted for the Richell Prize
Shortlisted for a Paragraph Fellowship (Time to Write)
Winner of a NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and/or SA Government literary award for an emerging writer, debut work, and/or unpublished manuscript
Winner of the Sweatshop Hachette Scholarship
Winner of selected Varuna Flagship Fellowships for unpublished authors or young writers (Ray Koppe ASA, Ultimo, Scribe, Penguin Random House, or UQP)

Emerging writers please express interest via this form, by 21 October 2026. The selected guest will be confirmed by 1 November 2026 for the July 2027 residency.

2028 May, June, September, October Writer Residencies: Open to those writers who have been awarded one of the following Australian literary honours in the past ten years:

Longlisted for the Stella Prize
Longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award
Winner of a NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and/or SA Government literary award
Winner of a Prime Minister's Literary Award
Winner of an ALS Gold Medal
Winner of an Indie Book Award
Winner of an IBBY Australia award/honour
Winner of selected Varuna Flagship Fellowships: Eleanor Dark (fiction), Eric Dark (non-fiction), Mick Dark (environmental), Blignault Family/Varuna Poetry, or First Nations.

Please express interest via this form by 11 May 2027. Selected guests will be notified by 1 June 2027 for the 2028 residencies.

The 3-4 emerging and established writer guests are selected via a blind draw of the eligible writers who express interest. We ensure that at least one writer from a First Nations or CALD background is included each year. Using this process, rather than an evaluation/selection panel, means we can concentrate our available budget on stipends for writer guests.

On the rare occasions we have spare accommodation available, we may accommodate an additional writer of merit, usually at the request of literary leaders.

Hosting Experience

We host guests in a fully furnished and self-contained apartment with its own entrance and key, that includes:

large double bedroom, with bed linen provided
height adjustable writing desk, adjustable office chair, and desk lamp - located beside a window with natural light
living room with a dining table for four, book shelf, sofa and armchair
kitchen with an oven/stove/fridge, basic appliances and utensils
bathroom with a shower, towels and clothes washing machine
access to printer and high-speed wifi
basic exercise equipment (exercise mat, light hand weights, stretch bands)

Please note meals are not provided.

Creative guests are hosted at no charge, and the Casa Morphosi hosts are able to contribute up to AUD$2,500 to help fund travel expenses for those who require it.

Those Australian creatives who are selected and require help with travel expenses are asked to create a profile with the Australian Cultural Fund, in order to receive this financial support - that profile can be used by the guest to raise further funds from others if required.

We have a local person in Introdacqua to assist with key access and post-stay cleaning, as the hosts are based in Australia and may or may not be on site during the guest's stay. It is important that guests are confident travellers who are comfortable with a high level of self-direction.

Guests are welcome to use the bicycles and sports equipment provided they accept responsibility to replace whatever is damaged or lost.

We request that writers read a sample of their work at a public event, either in Italy during the hosting, in Australia after their return, and/or for display on the Casa Morphosi website/Instagram page. Event proceeds, if any, would be used to fund future guests at Casa Morphosi.

Please note the apartment is not wheelchair accessible as there are four stair steps to enter it, and some external stairs and cobbled streets in the village.

Before arriving, we ask guests to sign an agreement (Residency Agreement is here and House Guide is here) to ensure the residency experience is safe, rewarding and fulfilling for everyone involved.

Please find here a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions.

Inspiration

Irish poet Anne Pender has generously allowed us to share her poem below, which we cherish for how aligned it is with our inspiration for Casa Morphosi:

Metamorphose

“My spirit moves to tell of shapes transformed

into new bodies…” – Ovid, Metamorphoses Book 1.

Skins shedding, soft surfaces emerging,

letting go of holding on

as I freefall into a formless future.

No blueprints, only that whisper of a knowing

beyond the imagined boundaries of my mind.

But still I hesitate.

What I feel called to do makes no sense

in a world on fire,

yet the yearning is unyielding,

a tantalising taste of joyous being.

Maybe sense only becomes sensible

when the step forward is taken,

the path only formed by the walking.

Let courage be my compass, then,

leading me on through the turbulence

to the beckoning calm beyond.

Anne Pender, 2025

Application Process

Hosting Experience

Inspiration

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