This year the judging panel received just under 300 submissions for the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. After careful consideration they are proud to announce the shortlist.
The judging panel has selected the following works:
- Like a Small City by Carla de Goede
- Eta Draconis by Brendan Ritchie
- Nameless by Amanda Creely
- How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up by Lisa Collyer
- The Sleeping by Melissa Jones Murphy
- Greater City Shadows by Laurie Steed
The winner of the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an Unpublished Manuscript will receive a cash prize of $10,000 as well as a publishing contract with UWA Publishing.
UWA Publishing thanks the Copyright Agency for it’s ongoing support for the
Dorothy Hewett Award and wishes all shortlisted writers the best of luck!
Get to know the DHA shortlistees!
Brendan Ritchie
Brendan Ritchie is an early-career novelist and academic from the south-coast of WA. In 2015 he published his debut novel Carousel and was awarded a PhD in Creative Writing. Carousel was critically acclaimed and described by the Sydney Morning Herald as 'the sort of thing that might happen if Kafka wrote a script for Big Brother.' The sequel, Beyond Carousel, was released in 2016 and Brendan has also published poetry and non-fiction in several notable journals and collections. In addition to writing, Brendan coordinates an academic enabling program at Edith Cowan University. He lives on Wadandi land with his wife and two young daughters.
Judges' comment: '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.'
Amanda Creely
Amanda Creely grew up in an ordinary town, lived in an ordinary house, went to an ordinary school. But her family’s roots were Irish for whom ordinary lives become extraordinary through the telling of stories. Amanda studied at Deakin University to learn the writing craft; parallel studies in literature and mythology gave that craft soul. She writes across many genres and is equally happy researching historical novels as creating quirky fantasy worlds or plotting a murder.
Judges' comment: 'This hard-hitting allegory is both timely and timeless in its exploration of the effects of war. Through skilfully constructed archetypes which draw in the reader, Nameless sheds light on shared human experiences, love in all its forms and the importance of storytelling.'
Lisa Collyer
Lisa Collyer is a poet and educator. She writes poetry with a focus on women’s bodies and how their experiences shape their everyday lives. She is a Four Centres’ Emerging Writer, a writer-in-residence with The National Trust of W.A. (2021), an invited writer-in-residence for Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers’ Centre (2022), and the winner of the Annette Cameron Encouragement Award (2021). Her work appears in Cordite, Rabbit, Westerly, and Australian Poetry Anthology 21-22.
Judges' comment: 'Searing poetry of feminine experience, How to Order Eggs Sunny Side Up is unashamedly visceral and lights up with flashes of literary incandescence. Formally inventive, bleakly comic, slyly erotic – these are poems which bristle with edges and glint like cut gems. Each poem arrives like a dare, refusing euphemism or domestication.'
Melissa Jones Murphy
Melissa Jones Murphy is a nurse and YA writer living on the south coast of NSW with her husband and three children. As a lover of fiction, Melissa enjoys writing about strange occurrences set in Australia’s unique landscape. The Sleeping is her first novel.
Judges' comment: 'What happens when the powers that be - including the adults - are not able to help? The Sleeping is an intriguing young adult mystery-come-adventure story with strong plotting and much promise.'
Laurie Steed
Laurie Steed is a novelist, memoirist, and short story writer from Perth, Western Australia.
Judges' comment: 'A beautiful collection of stories showcasing the small but magnificent ways people can find connections, set amongst one of the most isolated cities in the world. The prose is dynamic and playful, and these imperfect characters are missed each time you move on to a new tale.'
Carla de Goede
Carla de Goede has one book of poetry, Those Hairy Letters published through MPU. Her work has been published in various literary magazines including Blue Dog and Said the Rat. She has also won or been short-listed in various poetry competitions including first place in Positive Words 2021.
Judges' comment: 'In this collection, de Goede explores the mechanics of writing, of poetry, as they lead the reader into dark places, before pulling us out into startling light. Clever, funny, and brutal, this is far reaching work that intertwines the complexities of life with the often-shaky ground that is being a poet.'
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