Suri Matondkar shortlist success – Deakin Nonfiction Prize
Express Media has announced the Deakin Nonfiction prize shortlist https://expressmedia.org.au/news/2021-deakin-prize-shortlist/
Express Media is thrilled by the number of entries (160) – the most the prize has ever received – and by the incredible calibre of the writing submitted. It only seems fitting.., that for the first time ever we have selected a shortlist of nine outstanding entries for this prize!
Deakin’s Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) graduate Suri Matondkar is on the list!
- ‘What’s For Dinner Tonight?’ by LinLi Wan
- ‘Selfish’ by Suri Matondkar
- ‘Shades of Longing’ by Shu-Ling Chua
- ‘Eight Butterflies (walong paruparo)’ by Mark Mariano
- ‘Two Histories and a Seedling’ by Eva Addinsall
- ‘A Fox Runs Out of a Bush, Jumps Into the Air, and Disappears’ by Carly Stone
- ‘Having A Body Has Always Been About Reaching’ by Maddie Godfrey
- ‘Buying flowers for someone who wants to die’ by Millie Baylis
- ‘Becoming the Popstar of Self-Care’ by Tiia Kelly
Suri has been busy with constant writing and submission of her work since graduating. Her research project in her Masters involved three retold fairy tales reframed into Indian settings and situations.
I am a graduate of Deakin’s Master of Writing and Arts degree. I have a very long legal name that is always misspelt and exhausts me no end. I like reading too much fanfiction and writing about Indian-girl stuff. My work has been published in Verandah, Right Now, Wordly and is shortlisted for the 2021 Deakin Nonfiction Prize.
The judging panel had this to say about the shortlist:
As a judging committee we appreciated the range and calibre of the entries submitted to this year’s prize. The work of the nine shortlisted writers ranges wildly, from a compelling deep dive into insomnia to hilarious critique of self-care and wellness, to a poetic reflection on life and death. These pieces shared a deep engagement with their subjects, a unique voice and a commitment to pushing the bounds of the nonfiction genre. We are delighted with this shortlist and want to sincerely congratulate these outstanding writers on their work.