Fremantle Press and Get YA Words Out anthology shortlisted for an Aurealis Award

An Unexpected Party, co-published by Get YA Words Out and edited by Seth Malacari, has been shortlisted in the Best Anthology category of the Aurealis Awards.

Administered by the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, the Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the publishers of Aurealis magazine, to recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers.

Fremantle Press joined with Get YA Words Out in co-publishing this anthology of queer speculative short fiction by emerging Australian writers. Children’s publisher Cate Sutherland said, ‘The depth and breadth of talent displayed in this anthology makes for a really exciting and engaging read that is full of surprises. We’re delighted to see it shortlisted.’  

Editor Seth Malacari says, ‘It’s an honour to see An Unexpected Party shortlisted for the Aurealis Award. I started this project to challenge the assumption that there’s no place for speculative trans stories in Australian YA and to showcase the quality of emerging LGBTQIA+ talent in this country. This shortlisting is wonderful recognition that our stories are important and that there is space for positive and diverse queer representation in our YA literary scene. I am incredibly proud of all the contributors within this anthology, who were selected from an open call out for emerging writers. It’s a testament to the power of our community that we were able to create a work worthy of this shortlisting.’ 

The winners will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony in May – more information to follow soon.