The Surrey Hotel and The Spinoff join forces to establish a new writer in residence award. Enter now!
Auckland’s Surrey Hotel – named the Best Hotel in Auckland in the New Zealand Herald – is pleased to support a new writers residency award in association with The Spinoff.
The winner of the Surrey Hotel Steve Braunias Memorial Writers Residency In Association With The Spinoff Award will be given a week’s free accommodation at the Surrey in Grey Lynn, along with free breakfast and free wifi. They will also pocket a cool $500 from The Spinoff.
THE SURREY HOTEL: BUILT IN THE TUDOR AGES (1989)
Applications are open from today, and close on June 10. The winner will be announced on June 21; they have until the end of August to take up their residency at the Surrey.
NOTE WRITING DESK (LEFT)
The idea for the award came from author and journalist Steve Braunias, who stayed at the Surrey last year and wrote part of his best-selling book, The Scene of the Crime.
“It was such a great place to write,” he said. “It’s warm, and dark, and quiet, with thick carpets and dark wood. There are no distractions, it’s clean as a whistle, and the only concern is to sit down and work.
“I wrote around about 20,000 words in my three nights there, mostly on the Mark Lundy chapters.
“I cherished the experience and wanted other writers to have an opportunity, too, to write in splendid comfort.
“The Surrey took that idea and have run with it. They are very generous hosts.”
A ROOM MUCH LIKE THE ONE WHERE STEVE BRAUNIAS WROTE A LOT ABOUT MARK LUNDY
The Surrey Hotel is an independently owned hotel complex in the Tudor style, with standard and deluxe rooms, swimming pool, conference facilities, restaurant, bar, and a cat called GM, a stray which now enjoys the good life.
It occupies land on both sides of Great North Rd near the Grey Lynn shops.
Denise King, general manager at The Surrey Hotel, will welcome the winning applicant, and then leave them to get on with their writing.
WHEN TE RADAR SAW THIS INDOOR POOL HE WAS LOST FOR WORDS
The winner can take up their room on a Sunday, and have a free roast dinner on arrival. Breakfast is also gratis during their stay, and there are two free dinners, and complementary wifi. Before they check out the following Sunday, they can sit down and have a farewell free roast.
“We applaud the Surrey and are happy to award $500 to further assist the successful applicant,” said Spinoff publisher Duncan Greive.
“It’s conditional on the winner writing an account of their residency, which we will publish at the Spinoff.”
The Spinoff will also provide funding for a single value menu Domino’s pizza every night except on Sundays when there is a roast.
Writers from any discipline are invited to apply for the prestigious inaugural Surrey Hotel Steve Braunias Memorial Writers Residency In Association With The Spinoff Award.
They should send a fairly brief outline of their project to: ashleigh@thespinoff.co.nz