australian women writers challenge

Jacqueline Harvey is an Australian children’s writer and former primary school teacher, Deputy Head of Junior School, and Director of Development. She is known for her celebration of feminine traits, often depicted as weak in literature, and showing them as strengths.

The Alice-Miranda books, published through Random House, are Jacqueline Harvey’s first series. They are enormously popular both in Australia and overseas. This juggernaut series is already up to book number 14 and is frequently shortlisted for Children’s Book Awards. She has followed up this series with another internationally popular series, Clementine Rose, also published through Random House, which already has 12 books in the series. Jacqueline Harvey has also written a picture book, The Sound of the Sea, published through Hachette, which was an Honour Book in the 2006 Children’s Book Council Awards.

Book launches of Jacqueline Harvey’s are amongst the most anticipated in Australia. She doesn’t forget her target audience and makes it fun and fabulous for kids. Jacqueline Harvey has been known to host child friendly high teas for her book launches and as such has really upped the bar for book launches in Australia. She has certainly brought the fun and creativity into launches which is a reflection of her passion and enthusiasm for her subject matter and her readers.

Although Jacqueline Harvey is no longer a full-time primary school teacher she hasn’t left her trusty whiteboard behind. In true teacherly fashion, Jacqueline Harvey uses a whiteboard to plan out her novels. A trait that has been adopted by up and coming Australian writers such as Lisa Fleetwood.

Find Jacqueline Harvey’s website here.

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Find Jacqueline Harvey on Twitter here.

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Aurealis Awards prove that anything men can do, women can do just as well.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Aurealis Awards I suggest you check them out, they’re the premiere awards for the Australian Speculative Fiction crowd. A chance for Spec Fic writers to get recognized, connect, maintain a professional discourse, and to sink a few bevies. Or French Champagne for the more successful authors.

It was a fantastic event, organized by two women, Nicole Murphy and Tehani Wessley, and MCed by the talented, multi-award winning, Margo Lanagan. Those unfamiliar with her works, might I suggest Tender Morsels as a starting place. Her writing is spectacular, you will not be disappointed. Cat Sparks, demonstrated her multi-dimensional talents by, presenting, photographing, and if you check out twitter, also doing a spot of glamour modelling. On top of that, Kate Forsyth (if you haven’t heard of her… have you been living under a rock?) presented the Fantasy awards. I am pretty sure I was not the only one who had to pop on shades when she walked onto the stage to dim her radiance. She is truly amazing. And the cherry on top was Angela Slatter. Angela Slatter essentially won the Aurealis. Well, she won pretty much every category she was in. She even beat out internationally acclaimed, juggernaut, Garth Nix.

The Australian Women Writers Challenge was up for the Covenors’ Award for Excellence this year and although it didn’t win, I think it actually kind of did. The Australian Women Writers Challenge is about showcasing the enormous depth of talent that is demonstrated by Australian women who are writers. These Aurealis Awards certainly nailed that brief. So bravo Aurealis Awards, bravo Australian Women Writers Challenge and bravo all Australian women writers. If nothing else, you all get a vag badge from me.

So let’s have a ‘Clam Bake’ and celebrate these wonderful women of the Aurealis Awards and go check out their wares. Names listed below for your convenience.