Now in its tenth year, the influential and a much-loved feature of the Australian literary calendar, the Stella Prize has announced the twelve extraordinary books by Australian women on the 2022 longlist.
The 2022 Stella Prize longlist was announced live at the Wheeler Centre on Monday evening, in a special panel event with this year’s judging panel: Melissa Lucashenko (Chair), Declan Fry, Cate Kennedy, Sisonke Mismang, and Oliver Reeson. Together, they discussed the stories, themes and ideas captured in this year’s exceptional list.
The 2022 Stella Prize longlist includes novels, short fiction, memoir, social history, a book-length essay, a graphic novel, and – eligible for the first time in 2022 – poetry collections. This year’s prize saw over 220 entries.
The twelve titles selected are evidence of the extraordinary calibre of work being published by Australian women and non-binary writers, with a remarkable seven of the twelve books written by debut authors, and five of the twelve by First Nations authors.
The 2022 Stella Prize longlist is:
- Coming of Age in the War on Terror by Randa Abdel-Fattah (NewSouth Books)
- TAKE CARE by Eunice Andrada (Giramondo Publishing)
- Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen (University of Queensland Press)
- She Is Haunted by Paige Clark (Allen & Unwin)
- No Document by Anwen Crawford (Giramondo Publishing)
- Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down (Text Publishing)
- Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray by Anita Heiss (Simon & Schuster)
- Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (Fantagraphics)
- Permafrost by SJ Norman (University of Queensland Press)
- Homecoming by Elfie Shiosaki (Magabala Books)
- The Open by Lucy Van (Cordite Books)
- Another Day in the Colony by Chelsea Watego (University of Queensland Press)
“In the aftermath of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, Stella writers are not holding back… Australian women and non-binary writers are producing innovative, sophisticated literature in very difficult times,” said Melissa Lucashenko. “It has been a great privilege to read and assess their work for the 2022 Stella Prize.”
Previous winners of the Stella Prize include: Carrie Tiffany, 2013 (Mateship with Birds); Clare Wright, 2014 (The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka); Emily Bitto, 2015 (The Strays); Charlotte, 2016 (The Natural Way of Things); Heather Rose, 2017 (The Museum of Modern Love); Alexis Wright, 2018 (Tracker); Vicki Laveau-Harvie, 2019 (The Erratics); Jess Hill, 2020 (See What You Made Me Do); and Evie Wyld, 2021, (The Bass Rock).
Named after one of Australia’s iconic female authors, Stella Maria ‘Miles’ Franklin, the prize is committed to recognising the best books by Australian women, both fiction and nonfiction. By raising the profile of women writers, and celebrating their achievements, the Stella Prize hopes to erode the self-perpetuating cycle of under-representation that confronts all women writers.
The 2022 Stella Prize Shortlist will be announced on Thursday 31 March. The Winner will be announced on Thursday 28 April. For more information, visit: www.thestellaprize.com.au for details.
Image: 2022 Stella Prize Longlist Titles (supplied)