Writing in the mountains

See you back at Thursday Book Club th... Episode 1 of our new podcast is now a...

Writing in the mountains

Dear Friends,
Last week's Thursday Book Club came to you from the Blue Mountains, where I spent the week on a residential writing fellowship at Varuna - the National Writer's House. We were six writers in all, and we spent the week writing hard during the day and having dinner together at night. Varuna, the former home of Australian writer Eleanor Dark, is a beautiful place and a terrific place to focus on a manuscript. There are a number of fellowships and programs offered through Varuna and you can find the details here.

The NSW Premier's Awards for Literature were recently announced and I'd like to congratulate all the winners. From 2017 to 2019, I was the senior judge for the Awards and I'm always excited to see the new list of winners. You can scroll down for this year's list or watch the presentation online.

Finally, I'm delighted to announce that the winners of online tickets to The Chase: Candice Fox in conversation with Michael Duffy are Noela A and Michelle W. Congratulations!

I'm looking forward to Thursday Book Club this week - hope you can make it!

NEWS

Book of the Year ($10,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (University of Queensland Press)

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction ($40,000)
A Room Made of Leaves by Kate Grenville (Text Publishing)

UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing ($5,000)
Cherry Beach by Laura McPhee-Browne (Text Publishing)

Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction ($40,000)
The Warrior, the Voyager, and the Artist: Three Lives in an Age of Empireby Kate Fullagar (Yale University Press)

Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry ($30,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (UQP)

Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature ($30,000)
The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Mellor (Affirm Press)

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature ($30,000)
The End of the World is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell (Text Publishing)

Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting ($30,000)
Milk by Dylan Van Den Berg (The Street Theatre)

Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting ($30,000)
FREEMAN by Laurence Billiet (General Strike & Matchbox Pictures)

Multicultural NSW Award ($20,000)
Throat by Ellen van Neerven (UQP)

NSW Translation Prize ($30,000) — biennial award — joint winners
Autumn Manuscripts by Tasos Leivaditis, translated by N. N. Trakakis (Smokestack Books)
Imminence by Mariana Dimópulos, translated by Alice Whitmore (Giramondo Publishing)

Special Award ($10,000)
Melina Marchetta

People's Choice Award
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Affirm Press)

THE CHASE: CANDICE FOX IN CONVERSATION

13 MAY FROM 6.00 - 7.00 PM

BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival presents the ever-engaging Candice Fox in conversation with Michael Duffy. You can book your tickets here.

Emily Maguire's new novel, Love Objects, is fantastic and I'll be in conversation with Emily at The Women's Club in Sydney on Tuesday 18 May. Join us in person at 6pm, and enjoy wine and canapés on arrival, or watch online. You can book your tickets here.

The inaugural Words on the Waves Writers Festival will be held on the NSW Central Coast, NSW, 11 – 14 June 2021 and I'm so pleased to be part of it. You can view the full program here.

I'm also really excited to be part of Storyfest this year. The program is fabulous and you can find it here.

I’ll look forward to your company at Thursday Book Club this week.

What is Thursday Book Club? Thursday Book Club is a relaxed, friendly book club connecting readers online. Each Thursday we meet on Zoom from 8 - 8.30pm. There are no scheduled books to read: we simply chat about books we like and books we’re reading. Once a month, a guest writer joins us.

On 27 May, Jacqueline Maley will be my guest to talk about her new novel,
The Truth About Her.

'Read the first sentence of Jacqueline Maley's debut novel, and you will be in it until the end. Electrifying, deeply unsettling and so, so satisfying. And, if you've ever tried to manage the sharp end of a career with the blunt demands of parenthood, fiercely recognisable.' – Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss

In the meantime, I’ll look forward to your company at Thursday Book Club this week.

Zoom in as you can – it doesn’t matter if you’re late or have to leave early. Just join my Zoom conference room between 8pm and 8.30pm on Thursdays by clicking on this link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/8521042343

If prompted, here are the details to manually enter:

Meeting ID: 852 104 2343

Password: 886196

Thursday Book Club Recommendations

My Recommendations

Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton

Your Recommendations

Greg W

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt

The Killing Floor by Lee Child

Helen R

The Sentinel by Lee Child

Louise R

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker by Joanna Nell

The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

Michelle W

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Noela A

The Ripping Tree by Nikki Gemmell

Ravi S

The Performance by Claire Thomas

The Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris

The Chessmen by Peter May

Sue M

The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

Hamilton, the Musical,
book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda Take care,

PS. Would you like me to drop in to your book club?

If your book club has chosen to read The Deceptions or The Teacher’s Secret, I’d be delighted to attend your meeting by Zoom (whether your group is meeting online or gathering together in person) to answer any of your questions. To schedule a date, please email me here.