2010 ACT Writers Centre awards results

13th annual Marjorie Graber-McInnis Short Story Award

The Marjorie Graber-McInnis Short Story Award was set up by Don McInnis to honour the life of his wife Marjorie, a short story writer. The first prize is $600 and the highly commended writers each receive a certificate and a book.

There were around 40 entries into the competition in 2010, from all around the region. The judge for 2010 was Susan Hampton. She had this to say:

'The stories which did not do so well were usually written in the first person often in the present tense with very simple subject-verb-object sentences, not a lot of imagination, one layer only to the story, often telling rather than showing. There were some light moments amongst them though, and some, while not the best writing, were memorable as stories. Four stories, however, were worthy of being highly commended.'

The highly commended stories were:

The Deep End by Michelle Brock (who was also highly commended in a previous year and we shall look forward to her short story collection in the future). Susan said: 'This story had a neat surprise in that Maria the bullied girl had a sense of humour; the narrator Maggie had compassion yet was realistic about how much and in what situations she could show it; the ending worked well.'

Determination by Maeve Castles. Susan said: 'An unusual story with a good idea, good use of idiom especially at the end, and a credible young narrator.'

A Lovely Birthday by Doug Cocks. Susan said: 'This was a futuristic tale that mostly worked well, especially the dialogue on the last page.'

Cat by Claire Low. Susan said: 'This story moved between the present and past with fluency; handled a mix of tones from slight satire to realism; and had a neat trick ending that was also somewhat credible.'

The winner of the 13th annual Marjorie Graber-McInnis Short Story Award was Jennifer Shapcott, for Acts of Kindness.

Michael Thwaites Poetry Award

The judge for 2010 was Dr Penelope Cottier. She said:

'It was an honour to read the works of other poets, on themes that ranged from the traditional (love, death, nature) to the not-so-traditional (jam and skiing spring to mind). Most poets chose to write in free verse, although rhyme also put in an occasional appearance.

'Some poems opened promisingly and faded out, some had great ideas behind them, but this was not matched by inventive or memorable language. The best in this year's entries were vivid and generally short, and accomplished what they set out to do from the first word to the last.'

Dr Cottier chose two poems for highly commended certificates. First was Sustenance, a short poem about love that uses an effective metaphor throughout. Sustenance was written by Penny O'Hara.

The second highly commended went to Estuary, which used engaging language to describe the liminal space between land and sea. Estuary was written by Ken Filewood.

First place for 2010 was awarded to the poem, Until This, which Dr Cottier said: 'is written on that most traditional of subjects, and one which will never go out of fashion: Death. It uses generally simple language and conveys a clear sense of loss.' Until This was written by Kristen Roberts.

ACT Writing and Publishing Awards

The ACT Writing and Publishing awards recognise, reward and promote excellent books that are either self–published or published by a local small press. The four award categories are for books of: fiction; non–fiction; poetry and children's books.

This award is usually limited to books published in the ACT. However, to reward ACT authors who have had books published interstate, the 2010 Awards were opened to receive entries of books published by small (five employees or less) interstate publishers, as well as books published in the ACT or self published by ACT authors.

Children's books

There were not enough entries in 2010 to make an award in the Children's Book category.

Poetry

The judges for this award were Paul Cliff and Charlotte Clutterbuck and we thank them for judging.

A Highly Commended was given to Moya Pacey's first collection,The Wardrobe, 'for its poetic range, lovely internal rhymes and rhythms, arresting imagery and use of a variety of forms'.

The winner of the 2010 ACT Publishing Award for a Poetry book, was Leon Trainor, for his book, Before Afterwards, 'for the collection's taut, well-crafted, rhythmic poems, poised use of rhyme, striking imagery, and imaginative use of traditional forms'.

Non-fiction

The judges for the non-fiction book section were Peter Stanley and Charlotte Harper.

A Highly Commended was given to Ian McFarlane for his book, Of Cheese and Chutney. The judges said, 'The world-weary idealism of Ian McFarlane's thoughtful essays on the Howard years deserves to reach a wider audience. He examines everything...from writing, the media, cricket, war and refugees' rights with a keen intellect and discerning conscience and, despite the dark nature of some of the subject matter, a quirky sense of fun'.

The non-fiction winner was Alan Foskett, for Capital Sailing: The history of the Canberra Yacht Club 1959-2009. The judges said: 'This comprehensive history by a stalwart of Canberra local history, makes a strong contribution to Canberra's community history. It is clearly written, with humour and an eye for a good yarn, and well designed and produced in Canberra. It is based on comprehensive and unique primary sources – from photographs to invitations and newspaper articles - made available to readers in an attractive and accessible format.'

Fiction

The judges for the fiction award were Ingrid Jonach and Kaaren Sutcliffe. They found the entries to be of a high standard, saying: 'All were well-written, and the variety in the works aptly demonstrates the versatility and range of writers in the Canberra region.'

A Highly Commended was given to Craig Cormick for Futures Trading. The judges said: 'Initial impressions were that it might prove difficult for the judges to choose one over the others. However, it did become apparent that one work stood out in terms of technical mastery and deft management of a complex and sensitive topic.

The winner for the fiction section is Hornet Bank by Gordon Reid. The judges said: 'If one believes the aim of historical fiction is to make history accessible, we certainly felt this was achieved with Hornet Bank. The conversational style employed by Reid made the narrative and its characters accessible to readers, despite being a historical novel set over 100 years ago. Good writers have the ability to make you keep on reading them whether you want to or not—the milk boils over, the subway stop is missed. This was one of those books. The judges both had trouble putting it down. The narrative was well-paced and the interweaving of stories and timeline was a success. Overall, the story had the greatest impact on the judges and was also the technically most superior entry.'

Z4 Wines Award for Book Reviewing

The judge was Lesley Lebkowicz and she had this to say: 'A good review is a delight to read. It informs and offers an informed evaluation of the book under review. It often places the work in a context, determined by both the expertise of the reviewer as well as the attributes of the book. Though a review may inspire us to read the book, it need not. The review may participate in a debate (of which the book itself is part) and be worth reading for the contribution it makes.

Its writer knows the field and has something to say. A reviewer does more than summarise. The insight and perception of a good reviewer give the writing clarity and structure so that the reader can enter the writing and expect intellectual and literary pleasure. This is true of any review, regardless of its subject. A good review is a thing worth reading in its own right.'

The winner of the 2010 Award was a review of Emily Maguire's Smoke in the room, by local writer P.S. Cottier. The review in The Canberra Times was titled Learning to live with the sting of existence, and it made its case clearly. Said the judge: 'The language was lucid and fluent and a pleasure to read. The references to the book under review were made as part of a clear and convincing development of the reviewer's judgment of the book. Penelope did not shy away from articulating her perception of the book's limitation or from owning her emotional response to the text. The book is placed in the wider context of the social and psychological issues it addresses. In all these ways this review deserves the award.'

Z4 Wines award for Restaurant Reviewing

The judge was Luisa De Liseo who writes reviews for the website, Outincanberra. She awarded the prize to Bryan Martin for his review titled Parlour games.

Of the review, Luisa said: 'The review of Parlour Wine Room was both entertaining and informative. I enjoyed the anecdote which framed the author's visit, especially in terms of where to take visitors to Canberra who aren't easily impressed. It was written with a well-measured tone that was neither too quick to criticise or heap praise, which consolidates the author as a down-to-earth, reasonable and experienced diner whose verdict can be trusted. Above all, the review managed to place the venue in the broader context of the Canberra dining scene more successfully and seamlessly than the others.'