Seresin Landfall Residency 2012

Together with the Otago University Press we are delighted to announce the winner of the 2012 Seresin Landfall Residency.


The fourth recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency is writer Pat White, who plans to use the Residency to work on a collection of ‘Watershed Stories’: essays about our landscape and environment. He will think and write about people – such as H.D. Thoreau, Bashō, and Annie Dillard – who may have lived alone in huts, often near water. Waterfall Bay in Marlborough, where the Residency is located, will be the ideal place to do this.


Pat says ‘I am particularly grateful to Seresin Estate and Landfall for the opportunity to spend my time writing in a place where other tasks do not intrude. Such times are valuable, as they are a rare gift. I shall be able to devote myself to the new work, uninterrupted, for weeks on end.’

Michael Seresin says ‘Pat White is the deserved winner of this year’s award. Waterfall Bay, surrounded by water & calm, is ideal for his writing project. I wish him well.’

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

In partnership with the Otago University Press, we are delighted to announce poet and fiction writer Serie Barford as the 2011 recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency.

Barford has been publishing her work since 1985 and first had a short story in Landfall in 1987. After the 2007 publication of Tapa Talk, her third book of poetry, she returned to writing short stories, and this spring will use the Residency to work on a collection at Waterfall Bay in the Marlborough Sounds.

Serie Barford says ‘I’m delighted to be the recipient of the Seresin Landfall Residency. I’ve so many ideas and I’m grateful for the opportunity to establish creative space in a beautiful location. I’ll forget about the demands of my day job and will immerse myself in storytelling for a while. Fa’afetai tele lava.’

The stories in the collection are based on the concept of teu le va, the Samoan notion of taking care of relationships within and between the visible and invisible worlds.

Michael Seresin says ‘the creative world, in all its manifestations is a tough one to survive in, let alone thrive. I hope the powerful land & seascape of Waterfall Bay will provide a haven for Serie to find some stimulus to help her undoubted talent as a writer and poet. I love her work and know she is deserving of this award.’

Seresin Landfall Residency 2011

This New Year, we are delighted to announce the third annual Seresin Landfall Residency. Established in 2009 with the Otago University Press, the residency gives a writer the opportunity to spend six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough to work on a writing project.

The residency is the result of Michael Seresin's commitment to the arts and creative endeavour, and his desire to support the work of Landfall magazine. "I wanted to provide a place where writers feel comfortable and can write. We are fortunate to have access to two beautiful properties, which I hope will provide some inspiration for a writer during their six week stay."

Previous winners have included C.K. Stead, who took the opportunity to complete his memoirs, Southwest of Eden, and in 2010 Wystan Curnow, who worked on a book about Colin McCahon.

The residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have previously published at least one book. Candidates should be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. To find out more about the residency, or for more information about how to apply, please visit the Otago University Press website.

Seresin Landfall Residency

This new year, we are pleased to announce the second annual Seresin Landfall Residency. The Residency was established in 2009 with Otago University Press, giving a writer the opportunity to spend six weeks in either Tuscany or Marlborough.

The residency is the result of Michael Seresin's desire to support the work of Landfall magazine, and his commitment to the arts and creative endeavour. Michael says "I wanted to provide a place where writers feel comfortable and can write. We are fortunate to have access to two beautiful properties, which I hope will provide some inspiration for a writer during their six week stay."

Michael's father, Harry Seresin, was an early subscriber and avid reader of Landfall from the 1950's. The Seresin Landfall Residency honours his memory, and that of the Landfall founder, Charles Brasch, who helped establish New Zealand's first literary residency, the Robert Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago.

Prominent New Zealand writer, and the Residency's inaugural winner, C. K. Stead says "My association with Landfall goes back as far as 1951 when I first offered founder Charles Brasch poems and has continued ever since. I feel very enthusiastic about the idea of a Residency set up to honour both the magazine and Harry Seresin."

The residency is open to writers over twenty-one, working in any genre, who have been previously published. To read more about the Residency, or for information about how to apply, please visit the Otago University Press website.