Literary accolades for Giramondo Publishing authors

Fiona Wright has been awarded the highly prestigious $30,000 Kibble Literary Award for Women's Life Writing for her book, Small Acts of Disappearance (opens in a new window), published by Giramondo (opens in a new window) at Western Sydney University.

The Kibble Literary Awards encourages Australian women writers to improve and advance Australian literature for the benefit of the community.

Small Acts of Disappearance is a collection of ten essays by Wright, a Doctor of Creative Arts graduate, describing the author's affliction with an eating disorder, which began in her late teens and escalated into life-threatening anorexia.

"With the skilful use of language seen in her prize-winning poetry, Wright writes frankly and movingly about a difficult and very personal subject," the judges said.

"Unlike many memoirs of illness and recovery, hers is not a story of triumph over adversity. The essay form allows her to resist closure, while also providing insights into her reading, her travels and her interactions with others."

In further recognition for Giramondo Publishing, Martin Edmond's dual biography of artists Rex Battarbee and Albert Namatjira, titled Battarbee and Namatjira, has been shortlisted for the 2016 National Biography Award, administered by the State Library of NSW.

The Whitlam Chair in Writing and Society, Professor Ivor Indyk, says the awards are further recognition of the calibre of the students engaged in postgraduate study in the creative arts through the Writing and Society Research Centre at the University.

"Fiona Wright has received widespread plaudits for her poetry and essays, and the Kibble Award, which is one of Australia's most important literary prizes, offers outstanding recognition of her talent," he says.

"The nomination of Battarbee and Namatjira for the National Biography Award is particularly pleasing, as it originally formed the creative component of Martin Edmond's Doctor of Creative Arts thesis, which was undertaken in the Centre and completed in 2013."

"On behalf of the Centre and the University I'd like to congratulate Fiona and Martin for their achievements."

Ends

19 July 2016

Media Unit