The winners of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards were announced tonight.
The winners are in bold. Congratulations to all the authors, editors, and publishers!
Book of the Year
Christina Stead Prize for Fiction
Dark as Last Night, by Tony Birch
The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis, see my review
The Shut Ins by Katherine Brabon
The Dogs by John Hughes, see my review
Pushing Back by John Kinsella
The Performance by Claire Thomas, see my review
Highly Commended
Love Objects by Emily Maguire, see my review
The Other Half of You by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
Believe in Me by Lucy Neave, see my review
UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing
Hold Your Fire by Chloe Wilson
The New Animal by Ella Baxter
Friends & Dark Shapes by Kavita Bedford
Low Expectations by Stuart Everly Wilson
Night Blue by Angela O’Keeffe, see my review
The Archaeology of a Dream City by Monica Raszewski
Highly Commended
The Magpie Wing by Max Easton
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid
Douglas Stewart Prize for Non Fiction
Leaping into Waterfalls by Bernadette Brennan, on my TBR
Black and Blue by Veronica Gorrie
The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar
The Winter Road by Kate Holden
The School by Brendan James Murray
Rogue Forces by Mark Willacy
Indigenous Writers Award
After Story by Larissa Behrendt, see my review
Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
Bila Yarrudhangglangdhuray, River of Dreams by Anita Heiss, see my review
True Tracks by Terri Janke, on my TBR
The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough
God, the Devil and Me by Alf Taylor
People’s Choice Award
Click here to see all the other award categories.
ANZ LitLovers LitBlog 
Oh, I wish The Performance had got up. I feel like that book has been overlooked in the prize arena.
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By: Kate W on May 16, 2022
at 10:02 pm
I was very pleased to see Anita Heiss’s win:)
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By: Lisa Hill on May 16, 2022
at 10:55 pm
Thanks for posting this, Lisa. It’s the first time in many years that i haven’t followed the awards ceremony, at least on Twitter. And when I see that I haven’t read or seen A SINGLE ONE of the winners, I guess the universe is telling me something. But, as you say, that’s a great list of books to read.
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By: shawjonathan on May 16, 2022
at 10:58 pm
*chuckle* I think that the only thing the universe is telling you is that it’s impossible to keep up!
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By: Lisa Hill on May 16, 2022
at 11:14 pm
I’ve read so few, but I do have several on my TBR. I’ll get to most of them.
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By: whisperinggums on May 16, 2022
at 11:44 pm
I’m planning to read Leaping into Waterfalls soon, but right now I’m reading Hazel Rowley’s bio of Richard Wright, tracing his path from grandchild of slaves to one of the most notable writers of the C20th. So of course like all good LitBios it’s making me want to read the author’s books as well…
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 8:27 am
I have his Native son here on my TBR… For, oh, 15 years or so!
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By: whisperinggums on May 17, 2022
at 9:04 am
I’ve got Black Boy…
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 9:09 am
Ah, that’s his memoir and mine is a novel.
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By: whisperinggums on May 17, 2022
at 9:22 am
Yes. Rowley refers to it a lot in her bio.
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 9:24 am
I bet she does… I think it’s his best known work.
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By: whisperinggums on May 17, 2022
at 9:25 am
I keep thinking I should stop reading the bio and read him first, but the book is on loan from Della Rowley so I want to return it to her ASAP.
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 9:27 am
Congratulations to all of the winners of the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. I’m glad that more Aboriginal writers are receiving the recognition and accolades they deserve. Shout out to Dr. Tony Birch & Dr. Anita Heiss for their contributions to Australian and Black Diasporic Letters.
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By: Sonia Adams on May 17, 2022
at 2:03 am
I think Anita is in Paris on a travelling fellowship, what agreat place to be celebrating, eh?
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 8:28 am
I recently bought the Tony Birch book. I really liked his writing in one of our book group books we read of his. I forget title at the moment. Old brain cells.
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By: TravellinPenguin on May 17, 2022
at 4:42 pm
Would that have been The White Girl? or his short stories Common People?
Both great books, I haven’t got this one yet…
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 5:01 pm
OOps I just mixed him up with Graham Swift. Disregard that last comment. I hate getting old!!
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By: TravellinPenguin on May 19, 2022
at 12:05 pm
Still. a good author to mix him up with! I really like Swift’s books…
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By: Lisa Hill on May 19, 2022
at 12:27 pm
I was speaking to one of the lovely people at Twelve Panels Press today looking for copies of Still Alive. Needless to say they were all very chuffed. They are a very small publisher of Australian graphic novels, with only two books on their list atm. To have one win a major prize is very exciting.
Safdar Ahmed’s book began as a webpage that you can find here – https://medium.com/shipping-news/villawood-9698183e114c
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By: Brona's Books on May 17, 2022
at 6:10 pm
Yes, they must be thrilled to bits. Good on them for taking the risk on this title!
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By: Lisa Hill on May 17, 2022
at 6:12 pm