The 2016 WA Premier’s Book Award winners were announced today. I was delighted to see that Joan London won the fiction award for The Golden Age!
The winners were:
State Library of WA Western Australian History – Running Out? Water in WA by Ruth A Morgan, UWA Publishing
Western Australian Emerging Writer – Lost and Found by Brooke Davis, published by Hatchett Australia, see Karenlee Thompson’s guest review
Fiction – The Golden Age by Joan London, published by Vintage, see my review and a Sensational Snippet
Non-fiction – This House of Grief by Helen Garner, Text Publishing
Poetry – The Guardians by Lucy Dougan, published by Giramondo Poets, see Tony’s review at Messenger’s Booker (he reviewed the whole shortlist as well).
Scripts – Dust by Suzie Miller
Digital Narrative – Timelord Dreaming by David P. Reiter, Interactive Publications
Young Adult – The Protected by Claire Zorn, University of Queensland Press
Children’s – The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard, illustrated by Stephen Michael King, published by Allen and Unwin
People’s Choice Award sponsored by The West Australian – Fever of Animals by Miles Allinson, Scribe Publications, see my review
The Premier’s Prize – This House of Grief by Helen Garner, Text Publishing
Thanks to the State Library of WA for the press release, and congratulations to all the authors, editors and publishers.
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
It’s a shame it’s still not annual …
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By: Louise Allan on October 4, 2016
at 4:00 pm
Yes. yes indeed. I mean, what on earth has WA done with all that mining money that it now can’t afford an annual lit award, eh? I was going to bang on about that, but I’ve been on my soapbox before…
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By: Lisa Hill on October 4, 2016
at 5:48 pm
In the deluge of publications today, these all seem rather dated?
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By: residentjudge on October 4, 2016
at 5:58 pm
Yes, well, that’s what happens when you only have a biennial award. It’s a pity…
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By: Lisa Hill on October 4, 2016
at 9:46 pm
Perhaps rather than seeing it as a pity we should be pleased that these books stay longer in the limelight .. it’s just, I suppose, that it means fewer books get to be in the limelight!!
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By: whisperinggums on October 6, 2016
at 5:37 am
I think it’s a pity. WA has been such a powerhouse in Australian writing, and they should celebrate and promote it.
BTW Did you know that Amanda Curtin’s Elemental (*loved* that book!) is going into another printing with a different cover?
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By: Lisa Hill on October 6, 2016
at 9:08 am
No, that’s great to hear, and I still need to read it.
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By: whisperinggums on October 6, 2016
at 11:41 am
Oh, you will love it, it’s just brilliant.
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By: Lisa Hill on October 6, 2016
at 12:49 pm
Yes, agree re the biennial award and these books seeming dated … I’ve read the Davis and the Garner but seems yonks ago now. I’ve still to read London – tried to get my reading to do it but after a couple of tries I think I’ve missed that boat.
Interesting that Garner’s non fiction won THE Premier’s Prize.
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By: whisperinggums on October 6, 2016
at 5:35 am
Oh well, you know how I feel about Garner’s choice of writing topics…
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By: Lisa Hill on October 6, 2016
at 9:10 am
Yes, I do, but I still have to mention reading her when you mention her. You bring it on yourself!
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By: whisperinggums on October 6, 2016
at 11:43 am
*chuckle*
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By: Lisa Hill on October 6, 2016
at 12:41 pm
[…] and Kate W (here) review Garner’s This House of Grief (2014) and Lisa at ANZLL has posts (here) on the recent WA Premier’s Awards, including Garner’s success with This House of Grief […]
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By: The Feel of Steel, Helen Garner | theaustralianlegend on October 14, 2016
at 8:57 am