Writing WA, in partnership with the Benedictine Community and Holy Trinity Abbey, is delighted to announce Zoe Deleuil as our 2025 New Norcia Heritage Writer-in-Residence.
Hailing from Boorloo/Perth, Zoe Deleuil is an acclaimed author whose psychological suspense novel The Night Village was shortlisted for the Hungerford Award and published by Fremantle Press in 2021. Her essays and short stories have appeared in Westerly, The Big Issue, Overland, and multiple anthologies, most recently Ourselves (Night Parrot Press, 2024). Zoe was also the 2024 Writer-in-Residence at the KSP Writers’ Centre.
‘New Norcia is a place of many stories and traditions, including the Benedictine tenet of hospitality to those passing through,’ Zoe shared. ‘This residency is an opportunity to experience a way of life unfamiliar to me, to write about it, and to hopefully inspire others to explore this unique town and its place in our shared history. Thank you, Writing WA, for this incredible opportunity.’
The New Norcia Heritage Writer-in-Residence program is a key feature of Changing the Conversation: Stories in All Spaces, a 2024–25 cross-disciplinary project generously supported by the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. Designed to bridge the worlds of literature and other creative fields, the initiative offers immersive and experimental experiences aimed at reshaping how literature is experienced and understood across the community.
From 18–24 August 2025, Zoe will immerse herself in the tranquil monastic town of New Norcia, staying in the beautifully restored Guesthouse Hermitage Cottage. With meals provided and full access to the library and museum, she will have a week to draw inspiration from the town’s unique heritage and atmosphere As part of her residency, Zoe will craft a 1,000–2,000-word creative essay focused on an aspect of New Norcia’s history. This work will be published in late 2025 through The Chimes and Writing WA, offering readers a fresh perspective on one of Western Australia’s most storied locales.