Unveiling the Future of Australian Gothic: Fogarty Literary Award shortlisters launch new books

Fremantle Press, The Literature Centre and the Fogarty Foundation are proud to launch two new Australian gothic novels – A Wreck of Seabirds by Karleah Olson and Jasper Cliff by Josh Kemp. Both writers were shortlisted for the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award and both have extensively studied the Australian gothic tradition.

A Wreck of Seabirds is a brooding piece set on the West Australian coast. Karleah Olson wrote it as part of a PhD thesis about entrapment and liminal space in Australian Coastal Gothic Literature. She said, ‘If you’re looking for it, you’ll see that each of the protagonists in this story are trapped in one way or another, whether physically trapped on an island, or emotionally trapped by an experience of loss or grief.’

Jasper Cliff is Joshua Kemp’s second novel. He’s already garnered a Ned Kelly Award and the Dorothy Hewett Award for his debut novel, Banjarwan. Jasper Cliff is set in the East Pilbara (a place that rarely features in Australian literature), and it leans into the realm of gothic horror to explore the effects of ongoing colonisation on the landscape and community. He said, ‘The idea for Jasper Cliff came from spending a lot of time researching frontier history in the Battye Library. I would often read about the horrors of colonisation for other creative projects, and during this process discovered how history can be twisted or altered by unscrupulous writers.’

The books will be  be launched by Annie Fogarty, AM. Then Brooke Dunnell, winner of the 2021 Fogarty Literary Award, will guide a fascinating in-conversation event that delves into the novels’ dark themes and preoccupations. She will also take the opportunity to ask the authors about how they prepared for and submitted their manuscripts to the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award, the process of turning their manuscripts into published novels; and their respective backgrounds studying literature in tertiary education.

Join us on Thursday 5 September at 6.00 pm at The Literature Centre in Fremantle as we celebrate the launch of these gripping reads. Book sales and signings will be available on the night, thanks to New Edition Bookshop.

Tickets to this event are free, but there are a limited number of spaces, so book your ticket now by clicking on the link.