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The Australian Society of Authors and Varuna, the National Writers’ House, are thrilled to announce Casey Keogh, a 27-year-old unpublished author from Queensland, as the recipient of the 2025 ASA/Varuna Ray Koppe Young Writers Fellowship for her fantasy novel, The Break of Light.
In describing The Break of Light, Casey says, “17-year-old Eve, an eternal sidekick, is forced to play the hero when her best friend is kidnapped to another realm. With the help of two warrior siblings, Eve battles shadow monsters, living woods, and her own cowardice in order to set things right.”
Casey has four years of scriptwriting experience in the advertising sector, as well as experience as a freelance ghostwriter. She recently completed a residency at the Queensland Writers Centre, where she volunteers her services as a beta reader and motion designer. Her current manuscript was longlisted for the Hawkeye Publishing Manuscript Development prize, and she recently placed third in the Totally Lit short story competition.
Casey says, “To say I’m honoured is a massive understatement. Though I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, I often feel that I’m still at the beginning of my author journey. Receiving the ASA/Ray Koppe Young Writers Fellowship marks a turning point in the narrative. If Varuna is the launchpad, then ASA is the rocket ship, packed with all the resources I need to shoot off into the stars. It’s an opportunity any budding writer dreams of, and I cannot wait to take one giant leap on the path to publication.”
Lucy Hayward, ASA CEO, says, “We extend our congratulations to Casey on being awarded the Ray Koppe Young Writers Fellowship for 2025 and warmly welcome her to the ASA as a member. Our team looks forward to supporting her in this early stage of her writing career, and beyond. We thank the Koppe family for their generous contribution, which both honours Ray Koppe’s dedication to and passion for supporting young writers, and makes the facilitation of the fellowship possible.”
Each year, the ASA and Varuna awards a two-week residential fellowship to a writer under the age of 35 who is as yet unpublished. The fellowship comprises a two-week residency at Varuna (including accommodation and all food), a one-hour consultation with a Varuna consultant, a year’s membership to the Australian Society of Authors, and travel subsidy if the recipient lives outside of NSW.
The residency was established by the Koppe family as a tribute to their mother, Ray Koppe. Ray, who for many years managed the business affairs of the ASA, was always passionately interested in and supportive of, young writers. Read more about Ray here.
Past winners include Emma Clancey (2024), Madeleine Rebbechi (2023), Aaliyah Sugitha (2022), Sarah Stivens (2021), Tim McGuire (2020), Hayley Scrivenor (2019), Holden Sheppard (2017), Nick Couldwell (2016), Chloe Higgins (2015), Danielle Binks (2014), Hannah Bent (2013), Dimitra Harvey (2012) and Renae Gibson (2011).
This flagship fellowship is part of the Varuna Residential Fellowships program. Find out more here.
