Printable version 
The Australian Literature Resource
-
Celebrate National Simultaneous Storytime
Wednesday, 23 May is National Simultaneous Storytime Day. Now in its twelfth year, this event is organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) to ‘promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age appropriate themes and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Grades 1 to 6’.This year’s selected title, to be read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, bookshops and other venues across the country, is Nick Bland’s The Very Cranky Bear.
Everyone is invited to join Zebra, Lion, Moose and Sheep as they attempt to placate the Very Cranky Bear. The nation-wide reading time is 11.00 AEST. To find out more, visit ALIA’s National Simultaneous Storytime website.
-
James Bradley Wins 2012 Geraldine Pascall Prize
Novelist, poet, editor and critic James Bradley is the winner of the 2012 Geraldine Pascall Prize for Critical Writing. Judged this year by previous winners Geordie Williamson and Alison Croggon, the prize aims to ‘reward a critic or reviewer whose work changes the perceptions of Australians, opens their eyes to a different perspective of their culture, develops a new interest in the subject and is both imaginative and creative’.
The judges stated that Bradley’s writing has ‘served as a bridge between traditional reading communities and new online readerships ... Beyond his keen, insightful and always entertaining reviews there is a sense of larger cultural phenomena being addressed. His reviews are postings from the frontline of a revolution.’ The judging panel also commented that Bradley was chosen for ‘practicing what he preaches’ and for being ‘a true practitionercritic’.
To read the full judges’ report and Bradley’s acceptance speech, follow the links on the Pascall Prize website. To keep up with Bradley’s ideas, visit his blog, City of Tongues.
-
The winners of the 2012 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) were announced in Sydney on 18 May. The overall Book of the Year, together with the Literary Fiction Book of the Year, was awarded to Anna Funder for All That I Am. The General Fiction Book of the Year prize went to Kate Grenville for Sarah Thornhill and Newcomer of the Year is Favel Parrett for Past the Shallows.William McInnes and the late Sarah Watt won the General Nonfiction Book category for Worse Things Happen at Sea, and the late Hazel Rowley was the winner of the Biography of the Year for Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage.
Awards for children’s books went to Emma Quay for Rudie Nudie (Book of the Year for Younger Children) and Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton for The 13 Storey Treehouse (Book of the Year for Older Children).
Allen & Unwin was named Publisher of the Year for the third year in a row while Text Publishing took out its first award in the Small Publisher of the Year category. Emphasising the losses to Australia’s literary community in the past twelve months, Text publisher Michael Heyward dedicated his company’s win to the late Diana Gribble.
Further information on the ABIA awards is available on the Australian Publishers Association website.
- National Simultaneous Storytime 23 May 2012
- Fiona Paisley : The Lone Protestor 23 May 2012
- KSP : Speculative Fiction Award 01 Mar 2012
- Scenes of Reading : Is Australian Literature a World Literature? 25 May 2012
- Literati 25 May 2012
- More events...
- The Rest Is Weight - Jennifer Mills
- Nightfall - Will Elliott
- Mort: The 10,000 Year-Old Boy - Martin Chatterton
- Outpost - Allan Baillie
- The New Kid - Deborah Abela
- More - 1615 works added in the last 14 days
- Harold Crawford Johnston born 1866, 5 works
- George S. Beeby born 1869, 35 works
- John Reay Watson born 1872, 11 works
- Gilbert J. Shurvell born 1906, 1 works
- Frederick J. Thwaites born 1908, 36 works
- Ray Lawler born 1921, 17 works
- Fred Robins born 1921, 1 works
- Dulcie Lampard born 1923, 1 works
- Pat Alexander born 1937, 1 works
- Kathryn Lowe born 1938, 4 works
- Max Merckenschlager born 1942, 21 works
- John Newcombe born 1944, 4 works
- Nancy J. Corbett born 1944, 8 works
- Wendy R. Baker born 1947, 63 works
- Leslie Stewart born 1949, 1 works
- Rosa Melino born 1950, 1 works
- Geoff Fox born 1957, 28 works
- Yang Li born 1959, 6 works
- Carolina Carraro born 1964, 1 works
- Sean Williams born 1967, 127 works
- Ben Redlich born 1977, 16 works
- Albert Smith died 1860, 1 works
- James Brotherston Laughton died 1883, 14 works
- Alfred Dampier died 1908, 21 works
- David A. Andrade died 1928, 3 works
- Adela Pankhurst died 1961, 2 works
- 'John Rowan Wilson' died 1973, 1 works
- Rose Lindsay died 1978, 3 works
- Beatrice Davis died 1992, 10 works
- Bill Neidjie died 2002, 86 works
- John Croyston died 2007, 75 works
- John Whiting died 2007, 1 works
- Jim Smailes died 2009, 8 works