Robert Drewe, to write a novel Nimblefoot, which is based on Australia’s first international sporting hero of “pedestrianism” (walking matches). It follows his wild endeavours, which included becoming a jockey and winning the Melbourne Cup riding the coincidently named Nimblefoot in 1870. Drewe has published eight novels, including The Drowner, which won the Premier’s Literary Prize in every state, the Australian Book of the Year Prize, and was voted one of the 10 best international novels of the decade.
2021 NON-FICTION FELLOW
Melbourne writer and journalist Anna Krien for The Long Goodbye: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which will be published in 2022. Krien wrote a Quarterly Essay in 2017 on The Great Barrier Reef, and her Fellowship project is an extension of that essay, investigating the science, economics, energy policy and players involved in the reef’s challenges. “The Great Barrier Reef is a vast system of reefs and it’s a big job to take in all of the stories. This fellowship will enable me to gather those stories to create a work of real excellence and importantly, cut through the noise surroundingthis remarkable system of reefs and the extraordinary diversity of life it supports.”
2021 READING AUSTRALIA FELLOW FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH AND LITERACY
Edwina West from Sydney’s Oakhill College for the project, Combating Aliteracy with Australian Literature. Edwina will use the Fellowship to develop a resource and toolkit for teachers and teacher librarians to help students to better select books, with a focus on diverse and engaging Australian writing. She will also create a ‘bank’ of Young Adult fiction, which teachers and teacher librarians can use to effectively pitch books to students in terms of interest, relevance and reading ability.
