Small Press Network Book of the Year Award 2023

Esther Anatolitis is the Editor of Meanjin and one of Australia’s most influential advocates for arts and culture. She is Hon A/Prof at RMIT School of Art and a member of the National Gallery of Australia Governing Council. Across two decades Esther has led arts and media organisations across all artforms and platforms, and is a regularly published writer and commentator. Her book Place, Practice, Politics was published in 2022.

Dr George Haddad is an award-winning writer, artist and academic practising on Gadigal land. His novella, Populate and Perish, was the winner of the 2016 Viva La Novella competition and his short story Kátharsis was awarded the 2018 Neilma Sidney Prize. George’s novel, Losing Face, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, the Small Press Network’s Book of the Year, and The Readings Prize. In 2023 he was named a Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist. He is a lecturer and researcher at the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University. George’s text, sound, performance and installation based art has been exhibited at Firstdraft, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, ReadingRoom and Metro Arts.

Jo Riccioni graduated with a Masters in Medieval Literature from Leeds University, where her studies included Icelandic saga and the Arthurian and Robin Hood legends. Her short stories have won awards in the UK and Australia and have been anthologised in Best Australian Stories. Jo’s first novel, The Italians at Cleat’s Corner Store, won the International Rubery Award for fiction and was long-listed for the New Angle Prize in the UK.