Writers' News
In Conversation
On Wednesday 24 March, 6.00 for 6.30 pm, author Chris Hammer will discuss his forthcoming book The River: A Journey through the Murray-Darling Basin (MUP) with Independent Senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon.
In The River, Chris Hammer takes us on a journey through Australia’s heartland, following the rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin. He recounts his experiences, his impressions, and, above all, stories of the people he meets along the way.
"The River" looks past the daily news reports and their sterile statistics, and reveals the true impact of our rivers’ decline on the people who live along their banks, and on the country as a whole.
This is sure to be a terrific evening. Two passionate advocates of the Murray-Darling Basin will discuss the issues facing those who rely on the river, and will debate the crisis and its solutions.
Attendance is free but please RSVP by 17 March to MUP: mup-info@unimelb.edu.au, or (03) 9342 0300.
Festival Awards Shortlists
Writers' Week
The shortlists for the 2010 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature are now out, with the winners to be announced at 4pm on Sunday, February 28 in the East Tent at Writers’ Week.
The awards are managed through Arts SA and granted biennially, with a prize pool this year of $130,000. There are six national awards as well as two awards and two fellowships specifically for South Australian writers. The most coveted national award is the Premier’s Award ($10,000), which is selected from amongst the winners of the published categories.
‘The prestige and public awareness of the awards continues to grow,’ says Alexandra Reid, Executive Director, Arts SA. ‘The calibre of shortlisted publications reads like a “who’s who” of contemporary Australian literature.’
The SA Writers’ Centre would like to congratulate a number of South Australian writers who‘ve been shortlisted in the following categories:
Children’s Literature Award ($15,000) – for a published children’s book, fiction or nonfiction: Christine Harris, Audrey’s Big Secret, Little Hare; and Ruth Starke, Noodle Pie, Omnibus Books.
The Fiction award ($15,000) – for a published novel or collection of short stories – has three SA writers: Brian Castro, The Bath Fugues, Giramondo; J.M. Coetzee, Summertime, Knopf/Random House; and John Harwood, The Séance: A Victorian Mystery, Vintage.
Shortlisted for the Unpublished Manuscript Award ($10,000 – South Australian writers only) are Deb Kandelaars, 'Memoirs of a Suburban Girl; Sharon Kernot, ‘Underground Road’; Amy T Matthews, ‘End of the Night Girl’; Louise Nicholas, ‘The List of Last Remaining’; Cameron Raynes, ‘The Dress and Other Stories’; Alastair Sarre, ‘Prohibited Zone’; and Anna Solding, ‘The Hum of Concrete’.
And for the Jill Blewett Playwright’s Award ($10,000 – South Australian writers only) Alan Grace for The Embryos, Duncan Graham for And Burn My Shadow and Nina Pearce for This Place.
Writers' Week Dedicatee
Tom Shapcott
Congratulations to Tom Shapcott, who has been named as the 2010 Writers’ Week dedicatee. Tom, who was first published in the early sixties and is a well-known Australian literary figure, has a swag of credits to his name and has written prolifically in many different forms, including children’s stories, a young adult novel, several collections of short stories, poetry collections, libretti, a literary memoir, a monograph on the painter Charles Blackman and numerous novels. He is one of only two English-language poets – the other being W H Auden – to have been honoured in the former Yugoslavia at the Struga International Poetry Festival. Tom received the Patrick White Award in 2000.
From 1997-2005 Tom Shapcott held the Chair of Creative Writing at the University of Adelaide. As the inaugural Professor of Creative Writing he helped a great number of Masters and PhD students as they embarked on what for many was the daunting task of producing a full-length thesis. Quite a number of Tom’s ex-students have gone on to be published. As one of these I can only say that his warmth and humour, his ability to turn around a fully annotated manuscript in a few days and his insight into the overall architecture of the novels and stories he was supervising, went a long way towards helping many students, including myself, successfully complete their post-graduate studies and see their dream of being published realised.
Welcome back for the Festival, Tom.
Malcolm Walker
Congratulations!
Peter Goldsworthy
The SA Writers’ Centre would like to congratulate two prominent South Australian writers who were honoured on Australia Day. Dr Peter Goldsworthy, author of such well known titles as Honk if you are Jesus and Maestro and a member of the Centre, was received as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia, while author and cook Maggie Beer, who has written a number of cookbooks and pioneered South Australia’s fresh food industry, was named Senior Australian of the Year.
Varuna consultations come to SA
Peter Bishop
Varuna’s Creative Director Peter Bishop will be in Adelaide for three days – from Wednesday 24 to Friday 26 February – offering one-on-one consultations with the aim of exploring the possibilities of both direction and development of a major creative project. Peter likes to to talk with writers about the heart of a project and what’s at stake for the writer.
Since its inception in 2005, the ‘LongLines’ program has led to the recognition, development and publication of numerous South Australian writers. Even though the ‘LongLines’ funding that previously supported the consultations has ceased, Peter continues to visit South Australia in search of fresh writing talent. Consultations, which cost $50 and are by appointment only, go for 40 minutes and places are limited. So, please send up to 10 pages to the SAWC by 15th February. Successful applicants will be notified by phone and offered suitable appointment times.
The SA Writers' Centre is assisted by the South Australian Government through Arts SA, and the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory bodies.