Read on Twitter
A thread of 2020 debut books or new books from @voiceworks alumni (interpreted as both those who've been published and/or been involved as editors)
Out today is @katerina_bry's Hysteria (NewSouth), a memoir illness and stories of women's 'mania' throughout history, and searching for a diagnosis relating to chronic seizures. Katerina was an editor for Voiceworks 2016-2017. https://www.readings.com.au/products/31743894/hysteria
Released in June, @JefferyElla's debut poetry collection, Deadbolt. Ella was an editor for Voiceworks 2016-2017. You can listen to her reading from the collection here.
Released in February, @Emily_Clementsy's The Lotus Eaters! A memoir about travel in Vietnam, friendship, sex, sexual assault, and growing self worth. Emily was an editor for Voiceworks 2016-2017. https://www.readings.com.au/products/30506788/the-lotus-eaters
Quite a while back! Ronnie Scott's first ever published writing was in Voiceworks (I think sometime around 2008, but I don't have the issue on me!). His debut novel The Adversary is the story of gay friendships in Fitzroy, post-AIDS crisis culture. https://www.readings.com.au/products/31264724/the-adversary
Lili Wilkinson @twitofalili, now long established as a YA and children's writer makes her junior fiction debut with Hodgepodge. Lili was first published in Voiceworks when she was 13. https://www.readings.com.au/products/32752179/hodgepodge-how-to-make-a-pet-monster-book-1
@tomdoig Tom Doig's latest book is Hazelwood, which investigates the 2014 Hazelwood power station's fire crisis and its lasting impact on the community https://www.readings.com.au/products/26165184/hazelwood
Liam Pieper @LiamPieper, whose writing appeared in Voiceworks around 2005-2006 and who was subsequently on the editorial committee, has a new novel out with Penguin: Sweetness and Light https://www.readings.com.au/products/30521139/sweetness-and-light
+ I'm looking forward to writer alumna Jamie Marina Lau's second book Gunk Baby, out through Hachette first half of 2021. Jamie's first book Pink Mount on Locust Island was on the 2019 Stella Prize longlist https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/06/18/152201/hachette-acquires-laus-gunk-baby/
+ some other achievements! Josephine Rowe @josephinerowe, whose writing appeared in Voiceworks around 2006 and was later an editorial committee member, was shortlisted in the 2020 Stella Prize for her collection Here Until August.
Joey Bui's writing appeared in Voiceworks in 2017. Her collection Lucky Ticket was longlisted for the 2020 Stella Prize, and is currently on the shortlist for the 2020 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction
Mandy Ord, whose comics have been published in Voiceworks (but I can't find dates!) was longlisted for the 2019 Stella Prize
This list is notably quite white, but Voiceworks is more balanced now, both in committee and in what we publish, and this has been a conscious effort to change. I'm excited to see new projects in the future from who we're working now!
The future of Australian writing (and editing) is in Voiceworks. Subscribe! https://expressmedia.org.au/product/voiceworks-subscription/
(also worth noting that not all the projects that alumni embark on are books, and that having a book out is amazing but necessarily a marker for success/completion of artistic purpose. Perhaps I will do another thread with other projects!)
