Ned Kelly shortlists; Miles Franklin and Furphy winners
The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the shortlist for the 2022 Ned Kelly Awards, presented annually for the best Australian crime writing. Among the shortlistees for best debut novel is Suzanne Frankham for Shadow Over Edmund Street, published via Journey to Words publishing. Shortlists were also announced in true crime, international and crime fiction categories. To see the shortlists, click here.
Jennifer Down was named winner of this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award for her second novel, Bodies of Light (Text). Down was chosen as the winner from a shortlist of five, which also included Michael Winkler’s Grimmish, which was originally self-published before being acquired by Puncher & Wattmann earlier this year.
Cate Kennedy has won the $15,000 Furphy Literary Award—one of the richest prizes for a short story in Australia—for her story ‘Art and Life’. Lisa Moule took second place for ‘The Game’ and was awarded $3000, while Natalie Vella took third place for ‘Winter is for Regret’, receiving $2000. All shortlisted stories will be collected in The Furphy Anthology 2022, which will be published with Hardie Grant Books later this year. For information, see the Furphy website.
Melbourne, Canberra writers festivals
Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) has announced the full program for the 2022 event, which will take place over four days spanning 8–11 September and feature more than 150 guests. Among the headliners are author Mohsin Hamid, actor Brian Cox and comedian Jenny Slate, who will all be appearing in person at the festival, as well as taking part in Antidote festival in Sydney on 11 September. For more information, see the MWF website.
Canberra Writers Festival (CWF) has announced the full program for its 2022 event, which runs 10–14 August. The program includes 70 events and over 160 guests, including Jane and Jimmy Barnes, Indira Naidoo, Samuel Johnson, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, Norman Swan, Veronica Heritage-Gorrie, Rick Morton, Dianne O’Brien, Ben Bravery and Jane Caro, among other journalists, writers and public figures. To view the full CWF 2022 program, visit the festival website.
#BookTok in Australia
Around the world, publishers are attracting new readers and experiencing increased sales via the #BookTok hashtag on TikTok—but what about here? Earlier this month, Books+Publishing looked at how Australian publishers, booksellers and authors are engaging with #BookTok, and tracks down some local influencers on the platform (subscription required).
Prizes and opportunities
Literary magazine Kill Your Darlings (KYD) has announced a new creative nonfiction prize, worth a total of $5000. Open exclusively to KYD subscribers, the KYD Creative Nonfiction Essay Prize is seeking creative nonfiction essays between 2500–3500 words on any subject. The winner will receive $3000, with two runners-up receiving $1000 each. The winning essays will also be published in KYD magazine in early 2023. Submissions open on 17 October and close on 27 November 2022. For more information, see the KYD website.
Allen & Unwin (A&U) has partnered with Voices from the Intersection to offer a mentorship opportunity for emerging children’s and YA Own Voices writers and illustrators. See Books+Publishing and the Voices from the Intersection website for more information.