Fogarty shortlister Jessica Baker asks whether we can outrun our own minds
In Out There, In Here, Jessica Baker explores whether we can solve our internal problems by being ‘out there’. In this fascinating conversation she and Katherine Allum discuss the fantasy of escaping the day-to-day vs its reality, and bond over writing manuscripts in the in-between spaces of expat London.
Tune in here or on your favourite podcast app to find out more.
Show notes
About Jessica
Jessica Baker (she/her) is a writer based in Kununurra, WA. Her work explores abstract concepts like consent and love, and the intricacies of human emotion. She commenced her career as a journalist in 2020, transitioning into court and crime reporting before moving to the UK and worked as a foreign news reporter until 2024. When Jessica is not writing, she works as a marketing and media officer and spends time exploring the dramatic landscapes of the northwest.
Jessica on socials: Instagram @jbakerwriter
About the hosts
Katherine Allum is an award-winning fiction author. Her debut novel, The Skeleton House, won the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award. American-born, she grew up in four different states, but has strongest ties to Portland, Oregon and regional southwest Nevada. After spending several years in the UK, where she completed an MA at City, University of London, she now lives in Perth with her husband. She does her best story plotting while swimming.
Katherine’s website: www.katherineallum.com
Katherine on socials: Instagram @Katherine.Allum
Georgia Richter has an MA (Creative Writing) from the University of Western Australia and is an IPEd Accredited Editor. She has taught creative writing, professional writing and editing at the universities of Melbourne and Western Australia, as well as at Curtin University. Georgia joined Fremantle Press in 2008 as the fiction, narrative non-fiction and poetry publisher.
Books by Georgia Richter, Fremantle Press publisher
How to be an Author: The Business of Being a Writer in Australia
About the award
Read more about this year’s shortlist here.
The Fogarty Literary Award is a biennial prize for an unpublished manuscript by a Western Australian author aged between 18 and 35 for a work of fiction, narrative non-fiction or young adult fiction. The winner receives a cash prize of $20,000 from the Fogarty Foundation, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press and a Fellowship with the Centre for Stories.
The Fogarty Foundation was established by Brett and Annie Fogarty in 2000 to support and provide educational and leadership opportunities for young people across the spectrum of the Western Australian community. As well as partnering with a range of organisations, the foundation has initiated its own programs that include the UWA Fogarty Scholarship Program, CoderDojo WA and Fogarty EDvance.
Music: ‘Letter to a Daughter of St George’, from the Meat Lunch EP: Songs from Floaters. Written by Alan Fyfe. Performed by Trevor Bentley (guitar and vocals – @trevormb) and Chris Parkinson (harmonica). Produced by Blake Carnaby of Nuglife studios with impresario work by Benjamin P. Newton.
Producer: Claire Miller
Mastered by: Aidan d’Adhemar
