Caitlin Maling's poetry collection Fish Work has been shortlisted for the 2022 Prime Minister's Literary Award for Poetry.
Prime Minister's Literary Awards Announcement
7 November 2022
The Awards recognise and celebrate the exceptional literary talent of our writers, poets, historians and illustrators. With 545 eligible entries, judges were faced with the difficult task of selecting the very best from a diverse representation of Australian voices and stories.
The 30 shortlisted books demonstrate the major contribution literature makes in connecting Australians to our stories, our history and to our values. This selection of books will actively develop our empathy, increase our knowledge and ability to reflect on our cultural journeys past, present and future.
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards play an important role in supporting a national appreciation of Australian literature. The shortlisted entrants showcase thought provoking, moving and entertaining stories that will succeed in captivating readers.
The stories encourage readers to engage through a different lens, challenging their beliefs and developing a deeper appreciation of the power literature has in connecting Australian society and culture.
We congratulate each and every author, illustrator, poet and historian that made this year's shortlists.
Winners will be announced later this year.
Find out more via the Australian Government website.
Fish Work brings the great barrier reef into poetic focus, exploring not just the fish that occupy the reefs but that vast variety of life-forms – including human – that make the reef a uniquely diverse environment. Developed over three years of field-work, during which time the poet lived and worked alongside marine researchers, Fish Work asks us to reconsider what it means to live with other beings, human and extra-than-human.
Blending the language of scientific research with the language of popular culture and her familiar conversational register, Fish Work is unlike any other book of poetry currently available in Australia.
This collection represents the first dedicated poetic investigation into the Great Barrier Reef in a time a climate change, paying particular attention to the far northern Great Barrier Reef, specifically Lizard Island Research Station where the poet spent several months over several years undergoing fieldwork with the scientific researchers in residence.