Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch congratulated the 2022 winning writers announced tonight as part of the 2022 Queensland Literary Awards.
"The Queensland Literary Awards recognise the importance of telling and sharing our stories, celebrating top talent and inspiring readers everywhere," the Premier said.
"Quentin Beresford's book Wounded Country: The Murray-Darling Basin – a contested history has won the Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance, highlighting how we must learn from our past and cherish and respect culture and country.
"Telling the truth about our often uncomfortable history through literature is an important step in working towards reconciliation, and comes at a time when our Government on behalf of all Queenslanders has made significant commitments to advance our Path to Treaty."
The Premier also acknowledged the two winners of the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Awards for outstanding Queensland writers up to 30 years of age, who will each receive $10,000 plus career development support.
"It's good to see multi-talented Brisbane writers and publishers – founding editor of the zine Woolf Pack, Rebecca Cheers, and founder of print publication PLATYPUS, Marilena Hewitt – receive these awards for their passionate work around accessibility, community and cultural truth-telling in the creating and publishing spaces," the Premier said.
"Congratulations to all the winners for their exceptional creativity and inspiration that tell the great stories of our cultural diversity.
"The LNP cut funding for the Premier's Literary Awards within days of coming to government in 2012, and my government was pleased to restore funding to this important program after coming to office."
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch congratulated Melissa Ashley, Geneve Flynn and Mary-Rose MacColl as the three recipients of the Queensland Writers Fellowships for 2022, each to receive $15,000, plus career development support.
"These three extraordinary Queensland writers have several acclaimed works to their names including The Birdman's Wife, Swimming Home and Tortured Willows: Bent, Bowed, Unbroken not the least among them," the Minister said.
"Queensland Writers Fellowships give these authors support to tap into even greater creative potential and I look forward to following their trajectory as they devote time and space to researching and writing their next books."
Minister Enoch said the Queensland Literary Awards paid special tribute to writers of all levels of achievement, and diversity.
"The Queensland Literary Awards enrich our lives with remarkable stories and help to build a more inclusive and respectful future for Queensland," Minister Enoch said.
"The narratives captured on a page can inspire us to reflect on the truths of our shared history.
"These awards deliver on the priorities of Creative Together 2020-2030: A 10-Year Roadmap for arts, culture and creativity, by elevating First Nations arts, sharing our stories and celebrating our storytellers," the Minister said.
"The Palaszczuk Government supports State Library of Queensland to provide opportunities for writers to progress their works and to champion meaningful and iconic stories for readers."
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM said the Queensland Literary Awards give voice to a diversity of perspectives and ideas that connect us all.
"State Library has managed the awards in collaboration with sponsors, donors, and the literary community since 2014. We are proud to continue nurturing and championing the careers of all Queensland writers, from emerging to established," Ms McDonald said.
