Fogarty shortlister Chuckie Raven on their novel about family and how we define it, redefine it and find it
Chuckie Raven is a youth worker and craftsperson with a passion for protecting queer kids.
In their spare time they enjoy spending far too much on their hobbies. One that has stuck with them throughout their life is writing. In their earlier years they wrote poetry they are loath to revisit. In their early adulthood they wrote mildly better poetry, with some grave exceptions. Now they focus on writing Young Adult fiction through a queer lens. They write stories they wished they’d had growing up, and hope that by doing so they can help younger queer folks see themselves represented.
Their debut novel, Glimmers in the Sea Glass, is born out of their own queer experience and their family’s experience of small town Western Australia.
Describe the manuscript in your own words:
Glimmers in the Sea Glass is a novel about Owen and Sez, two young queer kids growing up kilometres and years apart, and how time and distance don’t mean much at all. It’s a novel about family and how we define it, redefine it and find it. It’s less of a ‘coming of age’ novel and more of a ‘fighting tooth and nail to live’ kind of story. The novel focusses on the strength of young queer people and the importance of our queer elders and our community. It’s also about silence, and the ways it creeps into our lives, our circles and how we can speak it out of existence. It’s a little sad, and a little happy and a little relatable – to me at least.
What inspired you to write it and what did your writing process look like:
I originally wrote Owen’s story as a standalone novel. The idea came from reflecting on the times I’ve found humour in the darkest of moments. That led to the idea of a queer kid in a mental health ward who has their own slightly grim sense of humour about the whole situation. After I wrote Owen’s story, I started to reflect on my own experience of sexuality and gender and how my situation affected the outcomes. I spent the first six years of my life in Donnybrook, moving to Perth after that. I had access to community groups that informed and validated who I am. I had the access and good fortune to be able to choose my psychologist. I also had the privilege of growing up with a mum and siblings who accept me. My life and the things I have done have, in part, been built on the luck of having lived in a major city. Through my youth work, I’ve become more and more aware of the limitations and barriers put on Western Australians who live in country towns, and how that is magnified when individuals belong to minoritised groups.
The idea grew out of all of that and evolved away from my own experiences into its own unique story, and the character of Sez was born. After I finished Sez’s story, I realised how well the two novels line up as a combined work, drawing parallels across time and space to speak to the queer experience. A little bit of tweaking here and there and Glimmers in the Sea Glass was born.
Tell us what it means to you to make the 2025 Fogarty Literary Award shortlist:
I’m still processing it. I broke down in tears with an adrenaline crash when I called my mum to tell her. It feels like the world of writing has opened up to me and I can’t imagine where that’s going to lead. It feels so validating and humbling to have my work read and noted. I’m also really excited about the possibility of bringing another queer West Australian story to the world.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Don’t expect a speech if I win. I’ll likely just stand there for one to two minutes sobbing. But I’ll make it entertaining at least. Congratulations to all the other shortlisters!
Follow Chuckie’s journey on Instagram: @ChuckieRaven
To find out if Chuckie has won the award, join us at the Fogarty Literary Ceremony on Tuesday 3 June at the Government House Ballroom. Tickets are free and available from Humanitix here.