Language and literature - News and events

Events | Featured projects | Call for entries | Announcements

Events

Victorian Writers' Centre Summer School - Melbourne

11–22 January 2010

A range of writing workshops on subjects including novel writing, travel writing, editing and proofreading and marketing.

Adelaide Writers' Week - Adelaide

28 February – 5 March 2010

In 2010 Adelaide Writers' Week will build on traditions that have evolved over four decades, bringing together writers and readers in a series of readings, debates and exchanges. Known and respected established writers will be there alongside new writers with new writing. A mix of panel discussions, 'Meet the Author' sessions, lectures and readings will be included.

2010 Emerging Writers' Festival - Melbourne

21–30 May 2010

The Emerging Writers' Festival exists to promote the interests of emerging writers—to improve their opportunities for professional development and their engagement with the broader public. The festival mixes emerging literary professionals with more established writers to forge a better understanding between the past and future of Australian writing, and to bring a high level of intellectual endeavour to all the festival's activities.

Featured projects

Literary state of origin: Melbourne versus Brisbane - audio

30 September 2009

'Inter-city rivalry in Australia usually involves Sydney and Melbourne but today we encourage a new stoush, a literary stoush, between Melbourne and Brisbane'. The ABC Radio National Book Show asks which city is more word worthy and which fosters the best literary talent? Brisbane founded the highly-revered literary magazine Meanjin but Melbourne has UNESCO's imprimatur as a city of literature. With guests Steve Grimwade, The new director of the Melbourne Writers' Festival, and William Hatherell, Writer, editor and lecturer at Queensland University of Technology.

IAD Press Indigenous language dictionaries

Ongoing

The Institute for Aboriginal Development (IAD) press presents a list of dictionaries and language resources covering several Indigenous languages. Indigenous languages included are Alyawarr, Anmatyerr, Arrernte, Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay, Kaytetye, Ngaanyatjarra & Ngaatjatjarra, Pintupi Luritja, Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, Warlpiri, and Warumungu.

Call for entries

Short and Twisted 2010 anthology - national

Entries by 30 November 2009

Celapine Press publishes an annual Australian annual anthology of short stories and poetry with a 'twist'—sharp, well-crafted pieces by established and emerging authors in every genre. Past contributors to the series include Hazel Edwards, Jonathan Elsom, Edel Wignell, Caleb J Smith and Mitch Lewis.

Favourite Australian Novel (FAN) Poll - national

Entries by 15 December 2009

Australian Book Review invites votes in the 'FAN' Poll. Anyone can vote, and all Australian novels are eligible – from any era and in any genre. There are three major book prizes. The winning novel will be announced on 1 February 2010. Entry forms can be mailed, emailed, or faxed.

Announcements

2009 Prime Minister's Literary Award winners

2 November 2009

The Boat by Nam Le, House of Exile: The Life and Times of Heinrich Mann and Nelly Kroeger-Mann by Evelyn Juers and Drawing the Global Colour Line by Marilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds have won the 2009 Prime Minister's Literary Awards.

Vogel Award winner: Lisa Lang and Sydney writer Kristel Thornell (shared) - national

September 2009

The $20,000 Vogel Award is Australia's richest prize for an unpublished manuscript by a writer under the age of 35. Melbourne writer Lisa Lang and Sydney writer Kristel Thornell share the 2009 prize for their novels Utopian Man and Night Street.

2009 Prime Minister's Literary Award Short Lists - Canberra

18 September 2009

Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett has announced the fiction and non-fiction short lists for the 2009 Prime Minister's Literary Awards. The 2009 Fiction short list: The Pages, People of the Book, Wanting, Everything I Knew, One Foot Wrong, The Boat, The Good Parents. The Non-Fiction short list: Van Diemen's Land, Doing Life, Gough Whitlam, The Tall Man, House of Exile; Drawing the Global Colour Line, The Henson Case, American Journeys.

Appointment of Australia Council Literature Board Chair

8 September 2009

Minister for the Arts Peter Garrett today announced the appointment of Professor Dennis Haskell as Chair of the Australia Council Literature Board. 'Professor Haskell's wide-ranging experience as a published poet, editor, critic and academic means he will bring a special appreciation of the sector to the role of Chair of the Literature Board,' Mr Garrett said.

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards: Winners

2 September 2009

Chloe Palmer has won the Nettie Palmer Prize for Non-fiction with her book, The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island (Hamish Hamilton) as part of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. The book has also the NSW Premier's, Australian Book Industry and Indie Book of the Year awards for non-fiction and a Davitt crime writing award. Another Melbourne writer, Christos Tsiolkas, won the $30,000 Vance Palmer Prize for fiction for his controversial novel The Slap, about the ramifications of an adult disciplining someone else's child at a suburban barbeque.

42nd Annual AWGIE Awards

31 August 2009

Scriptwriters and playwrights came out from behind the scenes at the 42nd Annual Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Awards. Warwick Thornton’s Samson and Delilah, was awarded the Major AWGIE for the most outstanding Australian script of the year. Samson and Delilah was also awarded the AWGIE for Original Feature Film. Multi-award winning writer Patricia Cornelius took out three awards, including the prestigious $40,000 Richard Wherrett Prize for her confronting piece, Tenderness – Slut , which also picked up the AWGIE for Theatre for Young Audiences. Patricia also accepted an AWGIE for her work on the new Australian feature film Blessed, co-written with Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves and Christos Tsoilkas. Andrew Bovell also received an AWGIE for his searing play with environmental undertones, When the Rain Stops Falling which won for Stage.

Australian Institute for the Future of the Book or 'if:book Australia' - Brisbane

27 August 2009

Launched at the Melbourne Writers Festival, if:book Australia, a 'think-and-do tank', is the third centre of excellence of its kind worldwide, after New York and London. A Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) international initiative, it informs Australians about opportunities to create and publish digital content. Its first project will be a seminar series in 2010. QWC seeks partners in publishing, education and media sectors.

Biggest ever books alive kicks off

August 2009

Arts Minister Peter Garrett announced the start of Australia's largest ever Books Alive campaign. Now in its eighth year, Books Alive aims to promote the pleasures of reading with some great Australian titles. Mr Garrett said the campaign this year includes a guide to 50 Books You Can't Put Down and two give-away titles, including a children's book.

Key online resources

• Australian Poetry Resources Internet Library (APRIL)
• NSW Writers' Centre
• Tasmanian Writers' Centre
• Queensland Writers Centre
• Northern Rivers Writers' Centre
• Federation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages (FATSIL)
• Writing WA
• Fellowship of Australian Writers (VIC)
• Fellowship of Australian Writers (WA)
• Writers Now Online
• Australian Poetry Centre
• Gold Coast Writers' Association
• Aboriginal Languages of Australia
• Magabala Indigenous language books

Collection resources and online publications

• Jacket Magazine
• Red Room Company - poetry promotion and distribution
• The Complete Review
• Thylazine : The Australian Journal of Arts, Ethics & Literature

Institutions and government organisations

• Australian Libraries Gateway
• National Library of Australia

Peak bodies and associations

• Australian Society of Authors
• Copyright Agency Limited
• Australian Children's Book Council (CBC)
• Playwriting Australia

People

• Sleepers - advocates for writers
• The Angry Penguins
• Henry Lawson

Featured websites/projects

• Word Map
• Lightning Bug
• Project Gutenberg