An acquisition, a shortlisting and a scholarship!

Writers Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2024 Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship, and I'm beyond delighted to have made the cut; ‘for a biography of Louisa Lawson, newspaper proprietor, poet, suffragist and mother of Henry Lawson.’ What a strong list and what an honour to be included in it. Although those of you who've been playing along at home will know that I've been shortlisted for the Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship twice before. Here's hoping that this third time will be the charm! The Literary Fellowship, valued at $20,000, [...]

2024-01-19T15:04:01+11:00January 19th, 2024|Life, Work in Progress, Writing|0 Comments
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Brave New (online) World

Hands up if you’re quite the expert at videoconferencing now. Got your lighting all sorted? Your headphone hair? De rigueur Indigenous artwork behind you? With the onset of the COVID-19 shutdowns, the Australian literary community has moved its events online with commendable alacrity. A few organisations, like the Wheeler Centre, were ahead of the curve. They’ve regularly livestreamed some of their events for a while now. But for the rest of us, the haste with which the move to online ‘events’ had to happen resulted in a few bumps along [...]

2020-06-23T22:11:35+10:00June 23rd, 2020|Life|2 Comments
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Tax – more interesting than you think

When it comes to Australian literary prizes – did you know that the prize money is taxable? Yes, you read that right. Next time you win the Miles Franklin, after you’ve sobered up from the after party and cashed your cheque for $60,000, the taxman will insist that you include your literary windfall as ‘income’ on your next tax return. But don’t despair. Big win at the horse races? All that cash is yours to keep. Take home the grand prize on a TV quiz show? All yours. Place a [...]

2020-01-13T22:26:42+11:00January 13th, 2020|Life, Writing|6 Comments
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Shortlisted!

Surprised - and ludicrously happy - to find that Elizabeth Macarthur  has been shortlisted for the Ashurst Business Literature Prize. Some info about the prize, according to the website: Launched in 2004 by Blake Dawson and the State Library of NSW, the $30,000 Ashurst Business Literature Prize is acknowledged as Australia’s most important award for business writing. The prestigious prize was originally established by law firm Ashurst (formerly Blake Dawson) and the State Library of NSW to encourage the highest possible standards of literary commentary on Australian business and financial [...]

2019-04-12T17:45:23+10:00April 12th, 2019|Elizabeth Macarthur, Life, Writing|7 Comments
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Joining the Stella team

In a move that surprised me as much as anyone else, I've been selected as the new Executive Director of the Stella Prize. My new role was announced today, and I'll be starting in early August. In a very short time, Stella has made an important impact on the Australian literary landscape. I feel excited – and privileged – to be selected to lead a team whose work remains so relevant and necessary. Not sure yet how, or if, my new role will change what I blog about. I guess [...]

2018-07-03T12:36:00+10:00July 3rd, 2018|Life|15 Comments
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Random Thoughts About Author Talks

People are generous. My author talk at 'Clunes on Sunday' was chaired by a woman who had inherited her farm from her mother, who had inherited it from her own mother. She told me that mine was the first book she'd read in twenty years and that she'd enjoyed it very much. She also said - and I think this is the nicest compliment I've ever received about my writing - that it read like it was written by someone from the country.* People are kind. Elizabeth Macarthur's descendant, John Macarthur-Stanham, [...]

2018-06-19T22:14:35+10:00June 19th, 2018|Life, Writing|5 Comments
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Waiting

What to do in the limbo between the book being out of the box, and the book being out in the world (or at least in bookshops)? It seems like a long three weeks until the official publication date of April 2 but what does that mean anyway? April 2 is Easter Monday, so in reality the book will start appearing in shops during the week prior, and in the weeks after. But what does that mean for me? It's not like I'm going to rush out and buy a [...]

2018-04-09T21:33:01+10:00March 12th, 2018|Life, Writing|8 Comments
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My Writing Day

Her name is Winter. She's a Scottish Deerhound. Yes, she's very tall. Saves bending over to give her pats - she's already at just the right height. One day a week. That's all I have for my own writing. And when I say 'day' I don't mean a whole day, I mean a school day, between about 9:30 and 3:00pm. Also minus the school holidays. And minus time spent hanging out the washing, catching up on my day job, making cups of tea and procrastinating by playing Tetris. [...]

2018-03-23T01:36:22+11:00May 26th, 2017|Elizabeth Macarthur, Life, Work in Progress, Writing|16 Comments
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Vote for me – please?

Writers Victoria is a wonderful organisation which supports and connects all types of writers at all stages of their writing careers. I've been a member for more than ten years - attending courses and workshops, and enjoying the monthly magazine. Writers Victoria also offers mentorships, a manuscript assessment service, and lots of support, advice and information. So, in an effort to give something back, I've decided to stand for a place on the Committee of Management. That is, I'd like to become a Board Member of Writers Victoria. But to [...]

2018-03-25T12:14:31+11:00March 27th, 2017|Life|4 Comments
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