Recommended Reading
Women writers win big at the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards – there’s lots to celebrate in this year’s PM’s Literary Awards, with loads of women receiving accolades from the office of the top job. Sally Morgan won the children’s fiction category for Sister Heart, Karen Lamb and Sheila Fitzpatrick shared the non-fiction prize, while Lisa Gorton and Charlotte Wood were awarded joint first place for the fiction category. You can read Wood’s powerful acceptance speech here.
The Place of Terrorism in Australia – in the Sydney Review of Books, Ali Cobby Eckermann asks us to look closely at prejudice against Indigenous Australians.
Feminism is Not Obliged to Make Room for Men – Bono was named one of Glamour magazine’s 2016 Women of the Year. Clementine Ford explains why they’re completely missing the point.
Playwright Joanna Murray-Smith wins the inaugural Mona Brand award – Joanna Murray-Smith, author of almost two dozen plays, has won the $30,000 Mona Brand writing award, which recognises Australian women who write for the stage and screen.
Women authors on the US election – with shockwaves still spreading across the world, this round-up in The Guardian provides some timely insights from leading American women writers, including Joyce Carol Oates and Siri Hustvedt.
Fiona Wright and the strange relationship between hunger and writing – the Saturday Paper speaks to Fiona Wright about her essay collection Small Acts of Disappearance.
Cuts to arts education a gender problem – with government cuts now directed at arts education, Maeve Marsden looks at the possible effects for women.
Lockdown: Insight SBS – host Jenny Brockie delves into the stories of Australian women who are residents of a maximum security prison, in a two-part special.
The Occupational Wage Gap – in Lip Magazine, Danika Kimball finds out what the most common ‘pink-collar’ jobs are, and what that means for wage equality.
Domestic Violence Leave – Andie Fox writes for Daily Life about the fundamental importance of domestic violence leave as part of a holistic approach to tackling this epidemic.
Scrapping the abstinence model of sext education – in Daily Life, Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen challenges the coercive and judgmental approach of shaming girls for sharing intimate information online and suggests a more empowering approach.
Upcoming Events
Women’s Circus: Stories in Motion – Footscray Community Arts Centre was the first home to the Women’s Circus and this exhibition celebrates 25 years of this Melbourne institution. 18 November-10 December, Melbourne.
O’Keeffe, Preston, Cossington Smith: Making Modernism – a spotlight on three modernist greats, Georgia O’Keeffe, Margaret Preston and Grace Cossington Smith, at Heide Museum of Modern Art. 12 October 2016-19 February 2017, Melbourne.
2017 Stella Prize Longlist Announcement – Early-bird tickets for the Stella Longlist announcement are now on sale. Guest speakers include 2016 winner Charlotte Wood and playwright Nakkiah Lui. Hosted by Julia Zemiro, with the full longlist revealed live by Stella Prize judges Delia Falconer and Ben Law, this is an event not to be missed! Tuesday 7 February, Sydney.
Opportunities
Peter Porter Poetry Prize – entries are open for a new poem, with the prize valued at $5000. Entries close 1 December, so get in quick!
Griffith Review: Millennials Strike Back – submissions are open for Griffith Review 56: Millennials Strike Back. Deadline for complete pieces is 5 December.
Pencilled In calling for submissions – Pencilled In is a new literary magazine dedicated to showcasing art by young Asian Australians. Submissions for issue one, Fear and Hope, close 5 Jan 2017.
The Kat Muscat Fellowship – the fellowship offers support and professional development to the value of $3000 to a female-identifying writer or editor aged 16–30. Closing 15 January 2017.
ABR Gender Fellowship – Australian Book Review is seeking a substantial article on gender in contemporary Australian creative writing for its fellowship, worth $7500. Applications close 1 February 2017.
What does the Feminist Future Look Like? – Women’s Melbourne Network’s new writing competition asks: What does the feminist future look like? Entries close 26 March 2017.
Call for translated manuscripts – the Lifted Brow has appointed its first translations editor, Elizabeth Bryer, and is now accepting submissions for proposals or translated manuscripts by Australian translators.
New Books, Essays, Anthologies
Victoria: The Queen – this new release from Julia Baird features material from unpublished papers and brings a new approach to piecing together the life of this extraordinary woman.
The Floating Garden – congratulations to Emma Ashmere for being shortlisted for the Small Press Network’s 2016 Most Underrated Book Award.
The Permanent Resident – Roanna Gonsalves’s short-story collection explores what it is to be an outsider, offering a glimpse into the lives of 21st-century immigrants.
How to Choose Your Baby’s Last Name: A Handbook for New Parents – Lorelei Vashti’s new ebook looks at some of the difficult conversations a little bundle of joy brings with it, including the ethos behind choosing a baby’s surname.
The Birdman’s Wife – Melissa Ashley’s portrait of Elizabeth Gould, artist and adventurer long overshadowed by her famous husband, finally places her extraordinary life into the limelight.
The Love of a Bad Man – a collection of tales from Laura Elizabeth Woollett which delves into the curious psychology of women who famously fell for the wrong sort of guy. Read Veronica Sullivan‘s review in The Lifted Brow here.
Hope: An Anthology – the prize winning and highly commended stories from the Brotherhood of St Laurence Hope Prize, judged by Dame Quentin Bryce, Cate Blanchett and Kate Grenville.
And if that’s not enough, our friends at Readings have provided a handy must-read list: 50 great reads by Australian women in 2016. No excuses for not having your summer reading sorted now!
Feminist Writers Festival 