Parallel Panels - now open for EOIs!
Parallel Panels is an exchange program between Bucheon City of Literature and Melbourne City of Literature, in partnership with RMIT University, for graphic storytellers. The exchange program comprises a residency exchange and a virtual writers’ room. Parallel Panels has received grant funding from the Australia-Korea Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
RESIDENCY
A graphic storyteller (one from Bucheon and one from Melbourne) will spend a fortnight in their sister city. During this time, they will work on a project of their choosing and the Parallel Panels project.
They will be required to be part of a public event and a workshop of their choosing, in negotiation with the host City.
- Remuneration: The successful resident will have their travel and accommodation paid for and receive an AUD$2000 stipend.
- Parallel Panels project: This residency will include a collaborative graphic storytelling piece and a workshop delivered by each resident. The residents will work together on the collaborative project, which will be consolidated by the end of the two residencies. Residents will also deliver workshops (in their desired format) for local graphic storytelling creatives at the end of their residencies.
- Eligibility: This initiative is open to any Victorian professional who is a graphic storyteller. A graphic storyteller refers to any writer who uses imagery to tell their story. Please note that this call-out for the Bucheon residency is only for Victorian-based professionals.
The program will run in September 2025. Please note that the two-week period dates will be negotiated with the resident.
VIRTUAL WRITERS’ ROOM
Hosted by local comic artist, editor, performer and presenter Bernard Caleo, the Parallel Panels online writers’ room is a space for graphic storytellers to connect, share and compare their work.
There will be 6 participants in the virtual writers’ room, 3 from Bucheon and 3 from Melbourne. Each selected graphic storyteller will create a new one-page, nine-panel comic in 2024. They will create two versions—one with text and one without. The other participants will fill in the blank version with their own text, to create their own scripted versions.
Over 7 weeks in 2026, the graphic storytellers will meet online as a writers’ group. Each week, each graphic storyteller will present their own scripted version of each week’s featured comic artwork. They will then compare their scripted versions with the original artist’s intended text. By the end of the online writers’ room, all the graphic storytellers will have had their comics re-interpreted by the whole group.
Each participant will receive AUD$1500.
The writer’s room will run every Wednesday at 9pm (AEST) from 28 January 2026 until 4 March 2026.
Expressions of interest close on Monday 9th June 2025 9:00pm (AEST)*.
*Please note that the same form will be used to express interest in the residency and/or the virtual writers’ room.
To express your interest, please fill out the Wufoo form via this link: EOI Form
You may see a blank example of the form here.
If you have any questions, please email Director David Ryding.
Parallel Panels has received grant funding from the Australia-Korea Foundation of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
