Jenny Ackland, Bri Lee, and Melissa Lucashenko head up 2019 Stella Prize longlist

The $50,000 Stella Prize celebrates literature penned by Australian women. First awarded in 2013, the Stella Prize is named for My Brilliant Career author Stella Maria Sarah ‘Miles’ Franklin, and has become a landmark prize in the Australian literary scene. This year, some 170 entries were narrowed down to just twelve, with every longlisted author receiving $1000 in prize money.

Past winners include Alexis Wright, Carrie Tiffany, and Heather Rose.

The full longlist is as follows:

  • Little Gods by Jenny Ackland (Allen & Unwin)
  • Man Out of Time by Stephanie Bishop (Hachette Australia)
  • Bluebottle by Belinda Castles (Allen & Unwin)
  • The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo (Scribe)
  • The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire by Chloe Hooper (Penguin Random House)
  • The Death of Noah Glass by Gail Jones (Text Publishing)
  • Pink Mountain on Locust Island by Jamie Marina Lau (Brow Books)
  • The Erratics by Vicki Laveau-Harvie (Finch Publishing)
  • Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee (Allen & Unwin)
  • Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko (UQP)
  • Axiomatic by Maria Tumarkin (Brow Books)
  • The World Was Whole by Fiona Wright (Giramondo Publishing)

Judging panel chair and co-founder of the award, Louise Swinn said:

“The 2019 Stella Prize longlist comprises twelve exceptional titles – in a year of riches – from writers at very different stages in their career. Some on this longlist are topical, others are timeless. All of these books – covering sexual assault, arson and its consequences, parental neglect, issues of mental health, dysfunctional and complicated family life, chronic illness, and inherited pain, capture the spirit of the age. […] Women’s writing swaggers into the limelight again; we are left with no doubt as to the quality of our current crop of writers, and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate it. We’re looking forward to continuing the reading and encourage everyone to read along with us.”

In addition to Swinn, the judging panel also includes 2018 winner of the Miles Franklin, Michelle de Kretser, journalist and ABC presenter, Daniel Browning, investigative journalist and Walkley Award-winner Kate McClymont,and Amelia Lush, Head of Children’s and YA Programs at the Sydney Writers Festival.

The 2019 Stella Prize shortlist will be announced on Friday 8th March, with the prize itself awarded in Melbourne on Tuesday 9th April.

For more information on the prize or the works listed, check out the Stella Prize website!

Header Image sourced from The Stella Prize website

Jodie Sloan

Living, writing, and reading in Brisbane/Meanjin. Likes spooky books, strong cocktails, and pro-wrestling.