Desert Festival, Booker Prize and Northern Territory Literary Awards 2021

Desert Festival, Booker Prize and Northern Territory Literary Awards 2021 - Red Kangaroo Books

Werte/Greetings!

Desert Festival roars into life

Our much-loved annual community-based Desert Festival begins this week with it’s annual street parade on Thursday from 5.30pm. This year's theme is Lovin' Local, we at Red Kangaroo love local!

To catch up with everything that’s happening visit https://desfest.com

As you will see, there is music, theatre, exhibitions, craft and art demonstrations—you name it—from 23 September to 3 October. A perfect way to celebrate in Mparntwe!

The Booker Prize?

What can we say? The usual grumblings and complaints about those who did—or didn’t—make the list. Anyway, for a good summary of the shortlist, here's a link.

Happy reading and best kanga wishes,

Bronwyn, John, Stephanie, Jo, Thor, Kelly Lee & Bernadette

Northern Territory Literary Awards 2021

Red Kanga congratulations to Literary Award winner

Now in the 38th year, this year’s award winners were announced last week—celebrating the achievements of Territory writers.

This year a field of 450 submissions were received from writers around the Territory including Katherine, Nhulunbuy, Ramingining, Alice Springs and Darwin. This is the largest number of entries in recent years. Twenty-seven unpublished works across seven categories were shortlisted, with the winners sharing in a $5,700 prize pool.

In addition to their prize money, the winners received an annual membership and masterclass with the NT Writers’ Centre.

The winning texts are published in a booklet distributed at the Awards ceremony and available online.

The winners are:

Brown’s Mart Theatre Award
(Theatre script with a performance time of more than 30 minutes)

Sandra Thibodeaux, Calls to 1194

Charles Darwin University Creative Non-Fiction Award
(A factually accurate work written with attention to literary style and technique up to 3000 words)

James Murray, Listlessness and the Hemisphere of Hope

Alley Pascoe, A homecoming (pictured above)

Charles Darwin University Essay Award
(A referenced academic essay on a topic relating to the Northern Territory up to 3000 words)

Laura Burfitt, Discrimination Against Women Prisoners in the Darwin Correctional Centre

Flash Fiction Award
(A blog post, fan fiction, short story, fictional diary entry or fictional letter up to 500 words)

Stephen W. Enciso, Re: Application for the conversion of feelings

Kath Manzie Youth Award
(An original work of short fiction or a single poem by a person aged 12 to 18 years as of 1 January 2021 - up to three poetry entries per person with a 300-line limit or a short story up to 3000 words)

Elisha Petitt, Sunday

NT Writers’ Centre Poetry Award
(A single poem up to 300 lines)

Brian Obiri-Asare, dear Alice

Zip Print Short Story Award
(An original work of short fiction up to 3000 words)
Barbara Eather, One night in Millner

Reading next

Book Launch: A Dangerous Daughter by Dina Davis on 18 September at 12pm - Red Kangaroo Books
Book Launch: Nomad Girl by Kanakiya Myra Ah Chee on 27 November at 2pm - Red Kangaroo Books