Hungerford Shortlister Fiona Wilkes: Inspiring hope in queer literature
Fiona Wilkes is one of four writers shortlisted for the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award and in the running to win a $15,000 cash prize from the City of Fremantle, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a writing fellowship at the Centre for Stories. Her desire to balance out the narrative around queer stories in order to provide both light and shade when looking at the past led her to write her work of historical fiction.
Describe your manuscript in your own words.
Beginning in 1979 and spanning a decade of unconditional love and heartbreak, this novel follows Billie, a young queer woman, as she navigates the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic. As the only one of her close group of friends not to be infected with the disease, Billie juggles hospital visits, home nursing and hiding her sexuality from her family and colleagues. The novel is an exploration of what it means to love your found family, at times more than your real one, and the lengths you will go to in order to save them.
What inspired you to write I Remember Everything?
Honestly, part of the drive to write this novel was a dissatisfaction at the way queer stories, particularly those that touch on queer tragedy, are offered to readers, especially those that are queer themselves. So often, as queer readers, the literature that we consume (often, it must be said, written by non-LGBTQIA+ authors) tells us that the only way to live a queer life is to struggle and barely (if at all) survive the tragedies of a queer life. I wanted to show that, although there are aspects of living a queer life that are difficult, sad, or, yes, completely tragic, there is also room for intense joy, love and friendship. The novel is my attempt to balance the two and show that being queer does not automatically lead to a path of devastation. Despite the sad parts of this novel it is, ultimately, a story of queer hope.
How long have you been working on it?
I initially had the idea in 2021 to write a queer found-family saga that’s set during the AIDS crisis, and sketched out a preliminary draft at that time. Then, as is often my way, I put the idea on a shelf for a couple of years, adding a little bit here and there when I had a specific idea for the story. Eventually, I realised I had a substantial chunk of writing and decided to have a crack at writing a full draft, which I finished in mid-to-late 2023. Then I actively worked on getting together a more polished second draft in time to submit to the Hungerford, which I did in February 2024.
What does it mean to you to make the shortlist of the 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award?
It genuinely means the world to me. I’ve dreamed of becoming a writer since I was a little girl, so to be recognised with a debut that is so personal and touches on such important issues is truly incredible. Additionally, at a time when queer stories are frequently being suppressed, for the Hungerford judges to read my work and think it meaningful enough to shortlist is a true honour.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Read queer stories by queer folk, and resist attempts to silence queer voices wherever you can!
About the author
Fiona Wilkes is a current PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia, specialising in English & Literary Studies. Her creative work has been published, or is forthcoming, in a range of local, national and international publications, including Westerly Magazine, Coffin Bell Journal, The Elevation Review, LEON Literary Review and Lily Poetry Review, among others. She was a featured writer at the 2022 National Young Writers Festival. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2023. She was shortlisted for the 2023 Jacob Zilber Prize for Short Fiction, and was highly commended for the 2023 Katharine Susannah Prichard Short Fiction Prize. I Remember Everything is her first novel.
Follow Fiona’s Hungerford journey on Instagram: @fi_wilkes
The 2024 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award will be announced at the Fremantle Arts Centre on Thursday 24 October at 6.00 pm. The ceremony will be co-hosted by Molly Schmidt, winner of the 2022 City of Hungerford Award for Salt River Road. Tickets are free. RSVP here
Download the City of Fremantle Hungerford Award judges report
