Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award 2021 finalists announced…

…and I’m thrilled to be one of them! My thanks to all at Spineless Wonders.

From the media release: Twelve finalists have been selected for the 2021 Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award by judge Roanna Gonsalves. The finalists were chosen from a field of 100 submissions which included short story collections as well as novellas up to 30,000 words in length. The finalists are:

Emma Ashmere, The Missing

Jarni Blakkarly, Talkin’ About a Revolution

Oddette Des Forges, Woman walks into a bar

Dominique Hecq, Smacked

D.J. Huppatz, The Net

Jodie Kewley, Laid Bare

Rashida Murphy, The Bonesetter’s Fee and other stories

Andrew Nest, Backtracking

Stephen Orr, Eleven Stories

Cheryl Rogers, The Other Side of the River

Su-MayTan, Lake Corona and Other Stories

David Wright, A Condensed History of Australian Camels

Information about the twelve finalists and excerpts from their submissions can be found on the Spineless Wonders website. Launched in December 2017, The Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award showcases new works of short fiction from Australian authors. Three entrants, one winner and two runners-up, will receive cash prizes totalling $5000 as well as publishing agreements with Spineless Wonders. The winner and runners-up will be announced in September.

The Carmel Bird Digital Literary Award is hosted by short fiction publisher Spineless Wonders and is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.

#CBdlA2021

Emma Ashmere’s short story collection DREAMS THEY FORGOT follows her critically acclaimed debut novel THE FLOATING GARDEN, shortlisted for Small Press Network Book of the Year. Short fiction & nonfiction publications include: the Age, Meanjin, Commonwealth Writers magazine adda, Overland, Griffith Review, Short Australian Stories, Review of Australian Fiction, Sleepers Almanac, #8WordStory on three Brisbane city billboards, NGVmagazine. Winner: joanne burns Microlit Award 2024. Short story finalist: Commonwealth Writers Prize, Furphy Literary Award 2024, Carmel Bird Digital Award, Newcastle Short Story Award, Overland NUW Fair Australia Prize, and Age Short Story Competition. Longlisted: Big Issue Fiction Edition and Heroines Prize. Anthologies: Scorchers, Heroines, Meniscus, Glimmer Press FUTURES. Read more on short and long stories here. Living on Bundjalung country in regional New South Wales.