History

The Victorian Writers' Centre was formed in 1989 by a small group of writers who felt the need for a professional organisation which could support the needs of the Victorian writing community.

In 1989, the VWC was incorporated, and had its first offices in Tasma Terrace, the National Trust (Victoria) building in Parliament Place, Melbourne. The organisation was recognised by the Victorian Government as the peak craft body for writers, receiving funding from the state and, eventually, federal arts funding bodies.

The VWC quickly developed a reputation for presenting an outstanding range of workshops and seminars for writers, for being an excellent resource centre for emerging and developing writers, and for providing opportunities for writers to earn income through running those same workshops and seminars, as well as assessing manuscripts and presenting readings.

In the early 1990s, the VWC relocated to the Broom Factory in George Street, Fitzroy, where it operated until the end of 2001. After approximately 12 months in temporary accommodation at the Meat Market Arts Centre in North Melbourne, the Centre moved to the Nicholas Building in Swanston Street in 2003, in the heart of Melbourne. Then, in late 2009, the VWC became an integral part of the new Victorian Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, the Wheeler Centre, which houses a group of Victorian literary organisatons in a wing of the State Library of Victoria.

Since the VWC’s beginnings in 1989, membership has increased from the low hundreds to 2700, and it is widely recognised nationally for the excellent services it provides to the Victorian writing community. The VWC has made a point of helping writers outside the mainstream, such as regional writers and writers from non-English speaking backgrounds. Its program of events is developed in response to the needs of its members with a diverse range of seminars, workshops, discussions and presentations.

The Victorian Writers' Centre also works collaboratively with other literary organisations, festivals and events including the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Writers' Festival, the Emerging Writers' Festival, and the Mildura Writers' Festival. In 2006 in a joint venture with the National Trust (Victoria), the VWC extended its services to provide low-cost writers' studios, meeting and performance spaces at Glenfern Writers' Studios in the Melbourne suburb of East St Kilda. Studios are available for writers of all genres for periods of 1 to 6 months.

The VWC director is Roderick Poole, who was appointed in July 2010 after Joel Becker, who had led the organisation since 2002, left to take the reins of the Australian Booksellers Association.