In 2021, the Stella Prize longlist once again speaks to the ingenuity, varied perspectives and talent of Australian women writers. It spans short stories, personal essays, a novel in translation, and a novel for young adults; works that explore people and animals through the lens of fiction and non-fiction; and an extraordinary five of the twelve nominated books are by debut authors.
Established in 2012 to combat widespread gender bias in Australian literature, the Stella Prize elevates the writing of Australian women and non-binary writers with an annual $50,000 literary prize, and offers a dynamic snapshot of the richness and diversity Australian literature has to offer.
Join us for an in-depth conversation with 2021 Stella Prize judge Elizabeth McCarthy and Evie Wyld – announced on 23 April as the winner of this year’s award for her novel The Bass Rock. Wyld will appear via video-link from her home in the UK to discuss her gothic tale of toxic masculinity, and the impact the Stella Prize continues to have on the Australian literary landscape.
Presented in partnership with The Stella Prize
The bookseller for this event is Neighbourhood Books.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, venue capacity is unfortunately limited. We will not be able to accommodate walk-ups or a waitlist as may have been the case in the past. Read more about our live events plan here. Check our website, follow us on social media or sign up to our e-newsletter The Wheeler Weekly for updates and any late ticket releases.
Featuring
Elizabeth McCarthy
Elizabeth McCarthy is the Program Director of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival. She also works as an editorial content producer for ABC Radio Melbourne, and in an engagement role for RMIT Culture. She previously ...
Evie Wyld
Evie Wyld grew up in Australia and the UK. She is part owner of Review, a small independent bookshop in London. Her first novel, After the Fire, A Still Small Voice, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and a Betty Trask Award. In 2011 she was listed as one of the Culture Show’s Best New British Novelists. She was also shortlisted for the Orange Prize for New Writers, the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. In 2013 she was listed as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists. Evie’s second novel, All The Birds, Singing, was published in 2013. It was longlisted for the 2014 Stella Prize and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, and shortlisted for the Costa Novel Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. She is the winner of the 2013 Encore Award, the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize and the 2014 Miles Franklin Award. Her graphic novel with illustrator Joe Sumner, Everything Is Teeth, was published in 2015. Her third novel, The Bass Rock, was published in 2020 and won the 2021 Stella Prize.