SPN Book of the Year Award shortlist announced

The shortlist for the Small Press Network (SPN) Book of the Year Award has been announced.

Formerly the Most Underrated Book Award, the prize was first presented under its new name in 2020 and ‘aims to recognise and award some of the most significant and groundbreaking books being produced by Australian publishers and authors today’.

The shortlisted titles are:

• Almost a Mirror (Kirsten Krauth, Transit Lounge)
• Collisions: A Liminal anthology (ed by Leah Jing McIntosh, Cher Tan, Adalya Nash Hussein & Hassan Abul, Liminal/Pantera)
• Echoes (Shu-Ling Chua, Somekind Press)
• Taking Down Evelyn Tait (Poppy Nwosu, Wakefield Press)
• The Tiniest House of Time (Sreedhevi Iyer, Wild Dingo)
• We Are Speaking in Code (Tanya Vavilova, Brio).

The 2021 award judges Alexandra Dane, Jess Gately, Penni Russon, Marina Sano Litchfield and Jing Xuan Teo said: ‘Six books were chosen for the shortlist this year, each one a testament to the power of small publishing and the role it plays in giving voice to those who might be overlooked in mainstream publishing. The shortlisted titles were all examples of strong, engaging writing that tackled a range of issues from identity and culture to family, relationships and abuse. Each book was a thought-provoking read that invited the reader to explore and consider the nuances of the world and people around us.’

The winner will be presented by the Wheeler Centre as part of its Next Big Thing series, via Instagram Live on 26 November 2021 at 6:30pm, following the second day of this year’s SPN Independent Publishing Conference.

Last year’s winner was Pete Hay for his essay collection Forgotten Corners: Essays in search of an island’s soul (Walleah Press).

Category: Awards Local news