Queensland Premier's Literary Awards
QWC was sad to learn of the cancellation of the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards. It’s disappointing to lose an important platform for celebrating Queensland authors and writing. We are particularly concerned about the loss of critical opportunities for emerging Queensland writers and Indigenous writers represented by the Unpublished Manuscript Emerging Author Award and the David Unaipon Award.
QWC also acknowledges the fast response and amazing efforts of the Queensland literary community to continue the awards, ably coordinated by authors Krissy Kneen and Matthew Condon. The new Queensland Literary Awards 2012 will attempt to reward and recognise established and emerging writers across the 14 original categories, including the Emerging Queensland Author – Manuscript Award and the David Unaipon Award for an Unpublished Indigenous Writer. You can read about the Queensland Literary Awards – and enter! – at http://queenslandliteraryawards.com/ Submissions close on 6 May 2012 so act quickly to get your entries in.
We look forward to opening a conversation with the new Arts Minister about ways to support talented writers of Queensland and to promote our stories.
This is also a great opportunity to mention that Arts Queensland is currently collecting input from the Queensland writing community about the development of a new writing plan, and we encourage you to leave your thoughts on the AQblog:
http://www.arts.qld.gov.au/blog/index.php/think-forward-think-big/
We’ll be advocating strongly on behalf of local writers and readers, and we welcome your messages and questions.
How can you join the conversation?
We welcome your contributions at the QWC Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/qldwriters
You can also email QWC at qldwriters@qwc.asn.au or phone (07) 3842 9922.
What's the writing community saying?
Here's a round up of some of the blog posts and news items that have appeared about this issue. Let us know if you'd like to add your links to this list. We are also curating a Storify page aggregating some of the tweets, which we'll link to from here shortly.
Blogs
Nick Earls: http://bit.ly/Hf0U1p
Stuart Glover: http://bit.ly/HeFG7N
S.M. Johnston: http://bit.ly/Hf8SvE
Catherine C. Turner: http://bit.ly/HYiyYv
Meanjin: http://bit.ly/H7G4AE
Overland: http://bit.ly/H7GaYY
Catallaxy Files: http://bit.ly/HSObB7
Alison Earls: http://bit.ly/Hf5rkb
TLC Books: http://bit.ly/HSYViJ
Mark Roberts: http://bit.ly/Hfawcp
My Cup and Chaucer: http://bit.ly/HfaEZg
James Roy: http://bit.ly/HfkUzb
Angela Meyer: http://bit.ly/HfkWah
Susan Johnson: http://bit.ly/I0UKzs
Jessica White: http://bit.ly/Ii4iIH
News
Brisbane Times: http://bit.ly/HJWRNe
Sydney Morning Herald: http://bit.ly/HXUodL http://bit.ly/HflBbX
ABC: http://bit.ly/HfNnXL
The Courier-Mail:http://bit.ly/HIOwHs http://bit.ly/HJ2Gbo http://bit.ly/HflnBy
The Australian: http://bit.ly/HdzTtO
Crikey: http://bit.ly/HdevZ7
ABC Radio National - Books & Arts Daily: http://bit.ly/Hkc5XO
ABC Radio National - AM: http://bit.ly/Hkceu9
ABC Radio 612 Brisbane: http://bit.ly/HfaoOv
4BC Radio - Breakfast: http://bit.ly/HT5T7B
Business Spectator: http://bit.ly/HfwjPG
University of Queensland News: http://bit.ly/IOv4Ir
Opinion
Ben Eltham (Crikey): http://bit.ly/HdfhFt
Andrew Stafford (Sydney Morning Herald): http://bit.ly/HN8Mq7
Australian Socity of Authors: http://conta.cc/HeMJNT
Stephen Romei (The Australian): http://bit.ly/HHI0UT
Mark Fletcher (New Matilda): http://bit.ly/HnlePd
Kate Middleton (Sydney Morning Herald): http://bit.ly/HORpZw
Matthew Condon (The Courier Mail): http://bit.ly/Hg5YBi
Andrew Wilkins (Fancy Goods): http://bit.ly/HKW93R
Responses / Proposed Solutions
Queensland Literary Awards: http://on.fb.me/HeNdDH
Petition: http://chn.ge/HYxxlf