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We are pleased to reveal the beautiful covers of the 2021 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award winners, designed by Bettina Kaiser.
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Writer and Digital Humanities specialist, David Wright won first prize for A Condensed History of the Australian Camel.
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Our prize judge Roanna Gonsalves described Wrightâs entry as an âexceptional work,â which is âin part an ode to camels and in part a ludic interrogation of the archiveâ. In her judgeâs report she said it is âa work of extraordinary imagination, a masterful display of the possibilities of language, that speaks to our contemporary human concerns in a unique and delightful wayâ.
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The two runners up were also announced: Dominique Hecq for her collection Smacked which Gonsalves described as âa moving collection of stories about addiction told with heart-stopping narrative control and emotional resonanceâ and Rashida Murphy for The Bonesetterâs Fee And Other Stories which she described as âa luminous, skillfully-crafted collection about little lives narrated in a distinctively compelling voiceâ.
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Highly Recommended in this yearâs award were collections by Emma Ashmere, Odette Des Forges and Su-May (Amy) Tan.
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You can pre-order these titles now, to be released on Saturday, 1 January â just in time to be your first reads of the year.
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Join us for Spineless Wonders' free online book party of Lake Malibu and other stories by Amy (Su-May) Tan.
Experience a taste of Malaysia from your own home and join us on 8th December from 8 â 9 pm for the celebration of Lake Malibu and other stories by Amy (Su-May) Tan.
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There will be discussions, readings, trivia and (of course) a Malibu rum cocktail-making class. This will be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the collection â described by author Laurie Steed as a âhaunting meditation on the people and places we call homeâ â and its talented author, Amy Tan.
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As a first-generation migrant to Australia, Amyâs interconnected stories are inspired by the houses, people and flavours of her home â Malaysia. Common themes of escapism, migration and a âsearch for greener pasturesâ tie the collection together.
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Plus, we're doing a giveaway!
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You can score a free copy of Lake Malibu. All you have to do is tell us your favourite Malaysian dish! Email your answer to bronwyn@shortaustralianstories.com.au by January 1.
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A huge congratulations to Katerina Cosgrove for her novella Zorba the Buddha winning the fiction category of the Woollahra Digital Literary Award! You can own this fascinating read as part of our limited edition Spineless Wonders Smalls.
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Judge's comments: âZorba the Buddhaâ by Katerina Cosgrove is an imagined history of the spectacular destruction of Bhagwan Shree Rajneeshâs spiritual movementâknown popularly as the âOrange Peopleââas he and his followers flee controversy and mayhem at their failed ashram in Oregon in the United States and attempt, unsuccessfully, to set up a new utopian community on Crete, while in hiding from the CIA and FBI. Just as Cosgrove explores the interaction between the Rajneeshis and an unyielding state apparatus, she also delves into the intimately-realised and fictionalised relationships of the guru and his acolytes. Never succumbing to simple explanations or judgements, this extraordinary novella animates and illuminates an era of spiritual searching that inspired hope and venality in equal measure.
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Last chance: order Spineless Wonders Smalls for your summer reading
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The limited edition Spineless Wonders Smalls collection celebrates 10 years of Spineless Wonders publishing. These pocket-sized reads will make an attractive addition to any bookshelf, and they're perfect for on-the-go reading!
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From Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award winners spanning poetry, short fiction and microfiction to a short story collection of Australian queer fiction, there's something in the set for every type of lit lover.
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Reviews:
âAll Hands sits in the tradition of Tim Wintonâs Western Australian stories of masculinity and the ocean, except here it is Queensland, and written by a woman.â Moya Costello
âApologia is a treasure.â Christos Tsiolkas
âMaree Dawes (author of brb: be right back) is a new and refreshing voice in Australian poetry.' Barbara Temperton
'(Queer as Fiction is) a powerful, important and inspiring collection.â Monique Schafter, ABC Queer
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We are pleased to announce the shortlisted submissions in the 2022 joanne burns Microlit Award. Congratulations to the authors. The finalists and shortlisted submissions will be published in the microlit anthology, Travel, due for release in March, 2022.
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Keep your eyes peeled â winners will be announced in early 2022!
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Do you battle with Millennial Fatigue? Symptoms include a generalised sense of impending doom about our planet whilst at the same time tuning it out entirely to focus on what really matters⌠why does this personâs Instagram feed horrify me to my very core, yet I keep going back to see what the hell theyâve done now? Itâs okay, you might just be Under 30!
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And congratulations, that qualifies you to use your creative energy to enter our writing competition.
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Slinkies is looking for your writing:
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- under 10,000 words
- of absolutely any genre or style
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to publish and promote in our annual anthology of carefully hand-selected submissions.
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Dates for your diary:
- 8 December - Lake Malibu and other stories online event
- 1 January - Release day for the winners of the Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award
- 1 February - Slinkies deadline
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