ACT Writers Centre rebrands as Marion

That, at least, was in the minds of Canberra's peak writing body when it set about refreshing its corporate identity.

And there's nothing punchier than a single-name moniker, especially one that makes a statement.

And so, meet Marion, formerly the ACT Writers Centre, but still devoted to elevating writers and their art - which, incidentally, is its new tagline.

Privately, those running the centre - which marked its 25th anniversary in 2020 - had always referred to itself as "the little organisation that could".

And, said its chief executive Meg Wilson, that's the kind of attitude it wanted to embody when coming up with a new name.

Marion - a name that means "Star of the Sea" and is also shared by one of Canberra's often overlooked creative founders, Marion Mahony Griffin - seemed to fit the bill perfectly.

"We wanted a name that reflected that kind of moxie and attitude of us going, we are a serious arts organisation," Wilson said. "Don't let the fact that we're small and that we're from a small region deter from that."

The name also has a connection to Marion Halligan, the award-winning Canberra novelist who this year published her 23rd book, and is the centre's patron (and, reportedly, delighted to be honoured in this way).

"There's also the nod to Marion Mahony, and the connection that she has to Canberra as a place, and how she is almost always not acknowledged for the immense creative contribution that she had," Wilson said.

"It just sort of felt like this perfect little fit. It was linked to a lot of our heritage as an organisation and heritage to our location."

The centre used the pandemic - which descended as it was preparing to mark 25 years - as an opportunity to rethink its place in the Canberra creative scene, and as a resource for local and regional writers.

"When COVID hit, it gave us permission to go, everything that we knew and how we operated doesn't exist anymore," Wilson said.

"And we're veering slightly away from more of a community access point for writing. We're very aware that that's still such an integral part and it's not us wanting to remove that.

"But also when the concept of writers centres were established, it was the early 90s, and the whole model was about bringing writers to a physical location.

"With the internet, that model is completely obsolete now. You can google how to be a writer, writing tips, and get this plethora of information at your fingertips ... we're never going to be able to compete with that."

Wilson said Marion's focus now was geared towards professional development in the publishing sector, as the new tagline suggests.

"It really challenges this misconception that the only writers in Canberra are in the press gallery.

"We know we have such a beautiful, vivid art scene and people in Canberra get it, but to also uplift and show the rest of the country that Canberra has this incredibly vibrant literary scene."

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