Now in its fifth year, the Stella Prize is an award associated with some of Australia’s best writers. Past winners include Carrie Tiffany and Charlotte Wood, and shortlists over the years have included Hannah Kent, Maxine Beneba Clarke and Ellen Van Neerven – each a testament to the range and depth of talent in women’s writing in Australia. The Stella is not just a literary award but a community in which women’s literary talent is fostered and celebrated.
Following the announcement of the Stella Prize on 18 April, Sophie Cunningham will be joined by this year’s winner, Heather Rose, shortlisted author Emily Maguire and Brenda Walker, author and chair of the 2017 judging panel. Come for a discussion of books and brilliant careers.
Presented in partnership with the Stella Prize.
Who?
Sophie Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham is the author of five books, the most recent of which is City of Trees: Essays on Life, Death & the Need for a Forest. She is a former publisher, former editor of Meanjin, former Chair of the Literature Board of the Australia Council and was a co-founder of The Stella Prize. She is an Adjunct Professor with RMIT's Non/fiction lab.
Brenda Walker
Brenda Walker is a novelist and Professor of English at the University of Western Australia.
Heather Rose
The Museum of Modern Love is Heather Rose’s seventh book, and the winner of the 2017 Stella Prize. Her work spans adult literary fiction, children’s literature, fantasy/sci-fi and crime. Her previous novels include White Heart, The Butterfly Man and The River Wife. She is co-author, with Danielle Wood, of the acclaimed Tuesday McGillycuddy series for children (written under the pen-name Angelica Banks and published internationally).
Emily Maguire
Emily Maguire is the author of the novels Taming the Beast, an international bestseller and finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the Kathleen Mitchell Award, The Gospel According to Luke, Smoke in the Room, Fishing for Tigers and An Isolated Incident. She is a Stella Schools Ambassador and was a judge of the 2016 Stella Prize.
