Full Title: “Poet Ellen van Neerven wins Book of the Year, Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry and Multicultural NSW Award at NSW Premier’s Literary Awards (via Australian Broadcasting Company)
Young Mununjali Yugambeh author Ellen van Neerven pulled off a hat-trick at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards for their second poetry collection, Throat, at an online ceremony on Monday evening.
Awarding van Neerven’s collection the Book of the Year (worth $10,000), the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry ($30,000) and the Multicultural NSW Award ($20,000), the judges praised the work’s “beauty, honesty and power” and said it “confirms their place as one of the sharpest and most compelling poets of their generation”.
Speaking to the ABC, van Neerven also acknowledged the particular windfall of prize money.
“I’m really grateful for it. Because you know, if I just relied on book sales, I would not have any money.”
The $60,000 will afford them “time and space” for bigger projects.
Click here for more information.
Links:
Australian Broadcasting Company | NSW Premier’s Literary Awards | Ellen van Neerven
