Writer, translator and independent publisher Michiyo Miyake has been announced as the Don Bank Studio Writer in Residence for 2025/26.
Born in Japan and now based in Sydney, Miyake holds a PhD in literature from Waseda University in Tokyo and has published widely on interwar British and American literature. Since migrating to Australia in 2016, she has turned her focus to fiction and poetry in English.
In 2023, Miyake launched Uguisu Books, an independent publishing label dedicated to works exploring Japanese and Australian social issues, Asia-Pacific histories, and cross-cultural experiences. Her 2024 novella, Green Metal: Life in Tokyo during the Nuclear Catastrophe, drew on her personal experiences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. She has also published Japanese travel essays including Postcard from Amami, The Island of Resilience, highlighting overlooked locations tied to social movements such as civil rights and anti-nuclear activism.
During the six-month residency, Miyake will develop a collection of short stories based on her early years in Sydney as a child. The stories explore themes of bilingualism, memory, and the lingering historical tensions of World War II - both within mainstream Australian society and among East Asian communities affected by Japanese occupation.
The residency also includes community engagement opportunities, with a Haiku poetry workshop and a Zine making workshop planned during Miyake's time at Don Bank. At the conclusion of her residency, Miyake will take part in a consultation with Penguin Random House Australia, receiving professional feedback on her manuscript of short stories.
North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker welcomed the announcement: "We are delighted to welcome Michiyo Miyake as the new Writer in Residence at Don Bank. Her work reflects a unique blend of cultural perspectives, and we look forward to seeing the stories and connections that will emerge from her residency here in North Sydney."
The Don Bank Studio Writer in Residence program supports writers at all stages of their careers, offering them time, space and opportunities to engage with the community in the historic setting of Don Bank Museum.
