Books + Publishing, “Australia’s number-one source of news about the book industry” has reported on the news of the Dorothy Hewett Award shortlist announcement. UWA Publishing, in partnership with The Copyright Agency, presents this annual award for an unpublished manuscript. Brendan Ritchie’s novel Eta Draconis is on the shortlist, and the winner will be announced soon.
You can read the article on the Books + Publishing website.
Brendan Ritchie’s unpublished manuscript, Eta Draconis, has been shortlisted for The Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. The esteemed judging panel for the Award run by UWA Publishing (UWAP), in partnership with The Copyright Agency Cultural Fund, included Tony Hughes-d’Aeth, Leni Shilton, Astrid Edwards and Eleanor Hurt.
Life on earth undergoes a complex change as meteorites begin to rain down from the dying star Eta Draconis. The world does not collapse, but old certainties disappear and a new mood falls over human societies. A road narrative set in Western Australia’s southwest, Eta Draconis follows two sisters as they survive in these complicated times. A poetic and compelling novel for the COVID moment.
UWA Publishing
The winner will receive $10,000 prize money, as well as manuscript development and a publishing contract with UWAP. Previous recipients include the inaugural winner, Extinctions by Josephine Wilson, which went on to win the 2017 Miles Franklin Literary Award.
For more information, including the full list of shortlisted manuscripts, visit UWA Publishing’s website.
Fremantle Press interviewed Brendan about his chapter in the book Beyond the Dark: Dystopian Texts in the Secondary English Classroom (edited by Patricia Dowsett, Ellen Rees and Alex Wharton, and published by the Australian Association for the Teaching of English).
Classic dystopian novels like 1984 and Tomorrow When the War Began still appear to be popular choices in the classroom. In many respects, we’re living in a dystopian world right now. People are sick, isolating, wearing masks in supermarkets. And not long before this, half of the country was on fire. It’s all pretty terrifying. Young people could probably do with more tools to make sense of the world around them. Dystopian fiction has always offered a safe place to explore our fears about the present and future.
Brendan Ritchie
Read the full interview over on the Fremantle Press website.
Australian Association for the Teaching of English (AATE) have released their new publication, Beyond the Dark.
Dystopian texts represent worlds that are both strange and strangely familiar. Appearing at a time of climate crisis and pandemic, this publication is intended as a guide for English teachers as they develop learning sequences for their students that ask them to investigate worlds both imaginary and real.
AATE
This book features a chapter by Brendan titled “Imaginative writing – building dystopian worlds”. You can find out more, as well as purchase a copy, on the AATE website.
The Literature Centre’s seventh annual Celebrate Reading National Conference, titled Insights into Quality Australian Literature for Young Adults will be held from Friday 26 October to Saturday 27 October 2018.
Brendan Ritchie will join authors Cath Crowley, Will Kostakis, Jay Kristoff, Jaclyn Moriarty, James Roy, Jared Thomas, Fiona Wood, and Claire Zorn over the inspiring two-day event.
Held at The Literature Centre based in the iconic Fremantle Prison, the conference includes panel discussions, solo talks, book signings, and more.
To find out more, and to register, head to The Literature Centre’s website or their Eventbrite page.
Brendan Ritchie will be appearing as part of the Margaret River Young Readers & Writers Festival at the end of next month.
The Young Readers & Writers program tours schools in the region promoting “the joy of reading from the earliest possible age.” Participating writers include Deborah Abela, Sasha Wasley, as well as artists Chris Nixon and Andrew Frazer.
To find out more, visit the Margaret River Readers & Writers Festival website.
Head to the Civic Square in Booragoon on the 18th of November for the exciting new Merge Festival. Brendan will be speaking at a session called On the Couch – Conversations with Authors (Adult Fiction), alongside fellow author Mihaela Nicolescu, facilitated by Jane Fraser, CEO of Fremantle Press.
This session is on at 4pm at the Civic Centre Reception Hall. Book signings available, with your ticket price (just $10) redeemable on book purchases at the event.
Head over to Eventbrite to grab a ticket.
Thanks @DymocksJoon! You guys are awesome. Such a brilliant YA Book Club! #bookclub #loveOzYA https://t.co/zXhplCLoUF
— Brendan Ritchie (@BrendanRitchie) November 8, 2017
Brendan will be at Dymocks Joondalup on Tuesday the 7th of November for their November YA Book Club.
Starting at 5:45pm with free admission, Brendan will be answering questions about his books and writing experiences. He will also be signing copies of his novels Carousel and Beyond Carousel, which will be available for purchase on the night.
For more information, visit the Dymocks Joondalup website, or hop straight over to RSVP on Eventbrite.
Date: Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Time: 5:45pm – 7:00pm
Location: Dymocks Joondalup, Shop 16 Lakeside Shopping Centre, Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027
Edith Cowan University’s School of Arts and Humanities will host a special free event to celebrate fiction and poetry by four of their recent graduates, who are published by four different publishers.
The panellists:
With participating chair ECU alumna and Adjunct Lecturer Dr Josephine Taylor.
Date: Thursday, 12 October 2017
Time: 3:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Building 17, Level 1, Room 103 – ECU Mount Lawley Campus, 2 Bradford St Mount Lawley
RSVP: Registration by Eventbrite essential.
You must be logged in to post a comment.