Unfortunately - though not really - I was not able to "attend" the online announcement as I did last year, as I'm spending a few days in the Snowy Mountains with Mr Gums and two friends. Before I announce the winner, which most of you will have heard by now anyhow, here is a quick … Continue reading Stella Prize 2021 Winner announced
Literary awards
Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
If ever there was a "zeitgeist" book, Bernadine Evaristo's 2019 Booker Prize winning novel, Girl, woman, other is it. It might be an English-set novel about black British women, "the embodiment of Otherness", but its concerns, ranging from ingrained inequality, racism and sexism to newer issues such as globalisation, are contemporary - and relevant far … Continue reading Bernadine Evaristo, Girl, woman, other (#BookReview)
Stella Prize and Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 2021 Shortlists announced
With two shortlists being announced on the heels of each other, I thought I would combine them into one post, so here goes ... Stella Prize Shortlist The Stella Prize shortlist was announced this morning and is, I suppose, a bit of a surprise for me - though I haven't read the books so I … Continue reading Stella Prize and Christina Stead Prize for Fiction 2021 Shortlists announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Commonwealth Writers Prize (now defunct)
March 8 this year is a packed one. Of course, it is always International Women's Day, but the second Monday in March is also Canberra Day here in the ACT, Labour Day in Victoria, and Commonwealth Day in, yes, the Commonwealth. It is not a public holiday in most places, but I decided it could … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Commonwealth Writers Prize (now defunct)
Stella Prize 2021 Longlist announced
Unfortunately, because I'm on the road, I wasn't able to "attend" the announcement earlier this evening, but at least I have been able to get my post out on the night, as it were. As I say every year, I think, I don't do well at having read the Stella Prize longlist at the time … Continue reading Stella Prize 2021 Longlist announced
Jasmine Seymour and Leanne Mulgo Watson, Cooee mittigar: A story on Darug songlines (#BookReview)
Recently, on a bit of a whim, I bought two books from the Indigenous Australian publishing company, Magabala Books. They were the younger readers-young adult novel, Black Cockatoo (my review), which had been shortlisted for a few awards, and this picture book, Cooee mittigar, which had just won the 2020 Prime Minister's Literary Award for … Continue reading Jasmine Seymour and Leanne Mulgo Watson, Cooee mittigar: A story on Darug songlines (#BookReview)
Barbara Jefferis Award 2020 Winner Announced
In early October, the shortlist for the biennial Barbara Jefferis Award, worth $50,000, was announced. This award, for those of you who don't remember it, has very specific criteria: "the best novel written by an Australian author that depicts women and girls in a positive way or otherwise empowers the status of women and girls … Continue reading Barbara Jefferis Award 2020 Winner Announced
Monday musings on Australian literature: Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Yes, you read right. This week's Monday Musings on Australian Literature focuses on an award established by the Swedish government, but it is an international award. Established in 2002 to honour the Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren (as you'll have guessed), the prize is five million SEK, making it, says Wikipedia, the richest award in children's literature and one of … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 2: Short stories
When I started this little sub-series, I wondered how to describe it - genres or forms or genres and forms? In the end, I chose "genres" on the assumption that we could define it very loosely to include forms. I hope this works. After all, the content is more important than the name! I decided … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 2: Short stories
Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 1: Historical fiction
While my prime focus here is literary and classic fiction, I do also delve into other forms (like biography, autobiography/memoirs, poetry, history), and other genres (like crime, dystopian fiction, and historical fiction). So, I've decided to start a little MM subseries on other genres and forms, starting with historical fiction. My aim is less to … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Supporting genres, 1: Historical fiction
Whispering Gums 