Writers in Residence Program
We are delighted to welcome three writers to Dingley Village Library as part of our first Writers in Residence program.
During their 10-week residency, from 20 April to 26 June, the writers will have access to a shared working space where they can immerse themselves in their writing practice. They will also connect with the community through various workshops.
Magnify is Kingston Arts’ artist residency program hosting artists in shared studio spaces. We accommodate artists with varying creative practices, needs, and at different career stages, providing an environment to encourage creation, collaboration and artistic growth.
The Writers in Residence program is a pilot initiative for 2026, developed as a partnership between Kingston Arts, Kingston Libraries and Dingley Village Neighbourhood Centre, with the aim of growing and expanding the Artist in Residence opportunities available at Kingston.
Meet our Writers
Alistair Ward
Alistair Ward (he/him) is an award-winning writer, actor, and director who has lived and worked in New York, London, Sydney, and Melbourne.
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts he was awarded the prestigious Max Fisher Award in 2015. He is the Artistic Director and founder of Pansy Productions having produced four plays, three of which he wrote. His debut show ‘twenty-something’ won the People’s Choice Award at the 2019 Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Since returning home from overseas he’s worked at some of Melbourne’s top independent theatres; La Mama, Chapel off Chapel, and The Butterfly Club. He’s been featured in ads for Coles, Ford, and Tennis Australia to name just a few.
His writing focuses on queer stories and contemporary issues affecting young people and their real-life experiences. He dedicates much of his time to mentoring emerging artists, as well as championing diverse casting and inclusivity.
He is currently writing his fourth play ‘No Longer Friends,’ an anthology-based television pilot, and is in pre-production for his first short film ‘Goodbye Lover.’ He is also a dedicated guncle.
Alistair is ecstatic to be an inaugural writer for the Magnify: Artists in Residence program with Kingston Arts.
Jessica Stanley
Jess Stanley (she/her) is a Naarm/Melbourne-based actor, writer, voice artist, intimacy coordinator and marriage celebrant. She holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Monash University, a Bachelor of Social Sciences from Swinburne University, has completed the Full Time Acting Course at the Howard Fine Acting Studio and the SAG-AFTRA-accredited Key Intimate Scenes Australian IC Training Programme.
In 2022, Jess was long listed for the Richell Prize for a draft of her first novel, Intimacy. She has worked for the educational theatre company, Complete Works, for many years. As Co-Artistic Director of independent theatre company Spinning Plates, Jess’s stage credits include multi-Green Room Award-winning The Crocodile, and Green Room nominees Rhinoceros and Shut Up I’m a Vampire—the latter of which she also wrote. In 2021 she won the Melbourne Fringe Art Unbound Award for her original ASMR-based work, JSMR. Other stage credits include Ross & Rachel, Titus Andronicus, Quite Drunk, Very Jesus-y, Navy Pier and Ménage. Screen credits include 2025 feature film Ancestry Road, The Doctor Blake Mysteries and Glitch. In her spare time, Jess hosts the podcast Do It Again But Better, where actors discuss their audition experiences—the good, the bad and the cringe.
Kimberly Gillan
Kimberly Gillan is a Melbourne journalist and features writer who specialises in human-centred stories about wellbeing, relationships, travel and modern life. After leaving too many fictional first drafts to gather dust, she's thrilled to join the Writers in Residence program to commit to completing her debut fiction novel, relishing the opportunity to have a dedicated space for focus and creativity.