Category: WA Premier’s Book Awards

Posted in awards, Books, cyber bullying, Destroying Avalon, Literary Awards, Uncategorized, WA Premier's Book Awards, writing

The Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards Presentation Night

Posted on by katemccaffrey

It’s true, I have the inside information, I know who the winners are! They were announced last night at a dinner held amongst ‘the stacks’ in the State Library. And so…

FICTION

The Travel Writer   Simone Lazaroo

POETRY

All the Time in the World  Dennis Haskell

WRITING for YOUNG ADULTS

Destroying Avalon  Kate McCaffrey

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The Arrival  Shaun Tan

SCRIPT

Sardines  Hellie Turner

NON-FICTION

Rob Riley  Quentin Beresford

Arthur Tang  Peter Edwards

WEST AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

The Workshops   Bobbie Oliver & Patrick Bertola

PREMIER’S PRIZE WINNER

The Arrival  Shaun Tan

I don’t think it came as a great surprise to anyone that Shaun’s book would win the Premier’s Prize- and deservedly so. It is an outstanding success. Shaun was unable to make the presentation but his very proud parents accepted the award- which I imagine must have been a huge thrill!

I honestly had not prepared a speech- as anyone at the presentation will attest to! I hadn’t even mentally prepared one- so I gave a rather perfunctory and generalised thank you. After the shock wore off I realised I’d failed to acknowledge the other short listed authors; Julia Lawrinson, Katy Watson-Kell and Diana Chase- the only remedy was to personally acknowledge them, after the presentation ended! I didn’t really thank the judges at all- and so I’d now like to take this opportunity to send a big thank you to them- Ms Chloe Mauger, Professor Andrew Taylor, Professor Ed Jagger and Ms Lucille Fisher. As Simone Lazaroo said everyone else was mentioned in the book’s acknowledge pages- and in Destroying Avalon there is a page and a half of acknowledgements (you all know who you are)!!

It was a fantastic honour and I am thrilled to have my book acknowledged in such a way! The lesson of the night was, of course,what happens when you spend all your time thinking about clothes and none of it on what you should say if you should win!!!

Posted in awards, Books, Literary Awards, Uncategorized, WA Premier's Book Awards

WA’s Gliterati Literati

Posted on by katemccaffrey

Last night it was both a thrill and an honour to rub shoulders with the WA Premier’s Book Awards shortlisted authors at a cocktail function. The function was held in the foyer of the State Library. They weren’t all there- I expect more of them will attend the dinner, but it was a good turn out in a friendly and relaxed environment.

All the shortlisted books were show cased- some beautiful looking books (shallow as it sounds I ALWAYS judge a book by its cover) and I got to mingle with the likes of Julia Lawrinson, Katy Watson Kell, Liliana Stafford and her daughter Sophia Zielinski,  Raewyn Caisley and Diana Chase to name a few.

We drank wine- and made merry, and then we were all presented with a certificate (Julia got two!!) And the night wrapped up quite early. Except for Jason and I! Childless and in town for the first time, in a long time, we ended up having dinner at Valentinos, alfresco-style watching Northbridge crank it up for a Friday night. At the risk of showing my age hasn’t the night life in the city improved?! It was only about eight o’clock and the place was full of people eating out and pubbing it. I think sleepy old Perth has woken up!! Having said that, it was a great vibe- a lovely dinner- I wasn’t too keen on the vino- a little young and sharp. But the gnocchi was good- not as good as Jason’s home-made gnocchi- but honestly I’ve never tasted any as good as his!

Home before eleven and a good evening was had by all. It was only this morning I realised what a blunder I’d made! What a colossal error! Oh the missed opportunity. There I was surrounded by short listed authors discussing all the important issues relevant to the local writing scene and I forgot to ask the most important thing! What were they wearing to the dinner? Formal? Smart dress? Dress? Pants? Oh bum- how could I have been so foolish!! Liliana, Julia, Katy, Diana- anyone out there reading this you MUST comment- what will you be wearing?!!

Posted in awards, cyber bullying, Literary Awards, WA Premier's Book Awards

The Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards 2006

Posted on by katemccaffrey

Yes, it does say 2006- though it’s 2007- but it’s a ceremony about books published in 2006 and awarded in the following year!! Get it????

The shortlist was announced last week (I think) and there are some excellent titles on the list:

Non-Fiction

Sally Clarke                          In the Space Behind his Eyes (self pub)

Dr Quentin Beresford        Rob Riley: An Aboriginal Leader’s Quest for Justice      (Aboriginal Studies Press)

Peter Edwards                  Arthur Tange: Last of the Mandarins (A&U)

Monique La Fontaine         New Legend (Kimberley Law and Cultural Centre)

Elizabeth Jolley                         Learning to Dance (Penguin)

History

Wes Olsen                                  Gallipoli: The Western Australian Story (UWA)

Bobbie Oliver & Patrick Bertola        The Workshops: A History of the Midland Government Railway Workshops (UWA)

James Cameron                          Millendon Memoirs (Hesperion)

Fiction

Marion May Campbell                       Shadow Thief (Pandanus)

Gail Jones                                                Dreams of Speaking (Vintage)

Simone Lazaroo                                   The Travel Writer (Pan Macmillan)

Mike Williams                                         The Music of Dunes (FACP)

Children’s

Raewyn Caisley                              Tai’s Penguin (Penguin)

Anthony Eaton                              Nathan Nuttboard Family Matters (UQP)

Jan Omerod                                   Water Witcher (Little Hare)

Liliana Stafford & Sophia Zielinski              The Shy Mala (Windy Hollow)

Shaun Tan                                           The Arrival (Hachette Livre)

Joy & Mike Lefroy & Marion Duke              The Catalpa Escape (FACP)

Poetry

Deanne Leber                                     Book of Days (self pub)

Dennis Haskell                                       All The Time in the World (Salt)

John Kinsella                                            Sacre Coeur: A Salt Tragedy (Vagabond)

Graeme Miles                                       Phosphorescence (FACP)

Mark Reid                                        A Difficult Faith (FACP)

Young Adults

Julia Lawrinson                                     Suburban Freak Show (Hatchette Livre)

Julia Lawrinson                                       Bye, Beautiful (Penguin)

Diana Chase                                         No More Borders For Joseph (FACP)

Kate McCaffrey                                Destroying Avalon (FACP)

Katy Watson-Kell                                 Mama’s Trippin’ (FACP)

Script

John Aitken                                      The Ships Pass Quietly (Blue Room Theatre)

Melissa Cantwell                                Marmalade and Egg (Perth TheatreCo)

Sarah Rossetti                                     Episode 14 “Pure Poetry” (RB Films)

Hellie Turner                                        Sardines (Tropic Sun Theatre)

Ian Wilding                                     The Carnivores (Black Swan Theatre Co)

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the State Library of WA on the 8th June. It’s all very exciting- until the reality hits- what to wear???