2018 Territory Read Shortlist
The NT Writers’ Centre was pleased to announce the 2018 Territory Read Shortlist at the festival opening of Wordstorm Darwin.
This year, the judges received and considered 24 individual works over a number of categories. The incredibly varied submissions provided a unique insight into the diversity and breadth of NT writers and the stories they tell. Especially notable was the large number of non-fiction entries, ranging from touching memoirs of individuals to more scholarly works capturing NT history and history makers.
Since 2009, the Territory Read awards have created an opportunity to celebrate excellence amongst published authors from the NT. They also draw national attention to NT writers and in the past have served to raise the profile of remote, regional and Indigenous authors.
Amongst past winners are Mary Anne Butler, Clare Atkins, Andrew McMillan, Marie Munkara and more.
For any media enquiries, please contact Sally Bothroyd, NT Writers Centre
Tel: 08 8941 2651 Email: executive@ntwriters.com.au
To receive print promotional material for display in your library or bookstore, please contact alice@ntwriters.com.au
This year’s shortlisted titles (in alphabetical order) include:
Rachel Barnett | There’s a Crocodile on the Golf Course (Holus Bolus Books, 2017)
With clever rhymes, endearing characters and charming illustrations, There’s a Crocodile on the Golf Course is both an original delight and a very Territorian tale.
Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley | Go Home, Cheeky Animals (Allen & Unwin, 2016)
The latest offering from the successful partnership between Dion Beasley and Johanna Bell, Go Home, Cheeky Animals is a beautifully produced children’s book with a wonderful sense of humour that provides a rarely-seen insight into life in a remote Northern Territory community.
Mary Anne Butler | Broken (Currency Press, 2016)
Mary Anne Butler’s extraordinary play script for Broken works as well on the page as it does for performance. Through an incredible blend of realism and surrealism, Broken’s wonderfully clever writing captures the distance and isolation of NT life. Her interwoven tales carry a highly tense and dramatic story that is both quintessentially Territorian and universal. If you’ve never thought about reading a play script before, this is definitely the place to start.
Frank Byrne, with Frances Coughlan and Gerard Waterford | Living in Hope (Ptilotus Press, 2017)
Living in Hope, Frank Byrne’s unforgettable childhood memoir, reveals the life of a boy firstly living with his family in the Kimberly region of Western Australian and then, from the age of six, his life as a member of the Stolen Generations. The voice is vivid, authentic and full of life – a heartbreaking story that perfectly balances light and shade. Frank Byrne is a remarkable storyteller: intelligent, generous and clear-eyed in the face of obstacles and systemic cruelty. There are dozens of individual stories here, all told in Byrne’s luminous voice, and each one is an irreplaceable slice of Australian history.
Sam Carmody | The Windy Season (Allen & Unwin 2016)
The Windy Season by emerging author Sam Carmody conjures the harsh landscapes and harder lives of the northern coastline of Western Australia. Violence, secrets and being stuck in the past swirl within the depths of Carmody’s Wintonesque waters. His gritty, authentic voice and distinctive dialogue is well suited to this dark and atmospheric story.
Charlie Ward | A Handful of Sand (Monash University Publishing, 2016)
The moment that Gough Whitlam poured a handful of sand into Vincent Lingairi’s hand has been much mythologised but little understood. This retelling of the Gurindji Walk-off is an assured and respectful exploration of the facts of the Wave Hill ‘victory’ and the subsequent struggles and heartbreaking challenges of the Gurindji people. Charlie Ward is an intelligent and empathetic writer who fully engages with the complexity of this important moment. His connections and history with the community and his expertise with public policy combine to expose the little- known reality of an iconic moment in Australian history.
Shortlisted books are in the running for awards in three categories.
Territory Read Book of the Year
For a published book across all genres by an NT author.
Best Non-Fiction
For a prose work other than a work of fiction. Includes biography, auto-biography, memoir, creative non-fiction, history, philosophy and literary criticism by an NT author.
Best Children’s or Young Adult
For a published book in either genre by an NT author.
Winners will be announced in July 2018. The total prize money in 2018 is $9000.
Thanks to our supporters, The Chief Minister of the Northern Territory, the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, the Northern Territory Government, the Australia Council for the Arts and the Northern Territory Library.
