Jacqueline Frances Kent (born 1947) is an Australian journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer. She is also known as Jacquie Kent, the name she used when writing young adult fiction in the 1990s and sometimes writes as Frances Cook.

Career

Kent was born in Sydney in 1947 and later moved to Adelaide, returning to Sydney to a position with the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...

following graduation with an Arts degree. Kent wrote her first book, ''Out of the Bakelite Box: The Heyday of Australian Radio'', while working as a freelance editor. Published in 1983 by

Angus & Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

, it was described by Maurice Dunlevy in ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...

'': "This popular social history of Australian radio after World War II is a classic piece of book journalism" and "a buzz from beginning to end". In 1985 she curated an exhibition called "On Air" for the National Film and Sound Archive. She was appointed to the judging panel for the National Short Story of the Year competition for 1984 and 1985. In 1985 she met Kenneth Cook, subject of her 2019 memoir, ''Beyond Words'', and author of ''

Wake in Fright ''Wake in Fright'' (initially released as ''Outback'' outside Australia) is a 1971 Australian New Wave film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Evan Jones, and starring Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay and Jack Thomp ...

''. They married and were together until his sudden death in April 1987. Kent is a frequent contributor to and book reviewer for Australian publications, including ''

Australian Book Review ''Australian Book Review'' is an Australian arts and literary review. Created in 1961, ''ABR'' is an independent non-profit organisation that publishes articles, reviews, commentaries, essays, and new writing. The aims of the magazine are " ...

'', ''

Meanjin ''Meanjin'' (), formerly ''Meanjin Papers'' and ''Meanjin Quarterly'', is one of Australia's longest-running literary magazines. Established in 1940 in Brisbane, it moved to Melbourne in 1945 and as of 2008 is an editorially independent impri ...

'', ''

The Weekend Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of bot ...

'', ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' and ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''. She has contributed five biographies to the

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

. In 2007 Kent was awarded a Doctorate of Creative Arts from the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1988, though its origins as a Institute of technology, ...

for her thesis, "Artistry Under Oath: Biography and the life story of Hephzibah Menuhin". The following year it was published by Viking as ''An Exacting Heart''.

Awards and recognition

Book awards

*''A Certain Style'' ** National Biography Award, winner, 2002 **

Nita Kibble Literary Award The Kibble Literary Awards comprise two awards—the Nita B Kibble Literary Award, which recognises the work of an established Australian female writer, and the Dobbie Literary Award, which is for a first published work by a female writer. The Awa ...

, winner, 2002 ** New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction, shortlisted, 2002 *''An Exacting Heart'' **''The Age'' Book of the Year Award, Non-Fiction Prize, shortlisted, 2008 ** Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, Best Non-Fiction Book and Best History Book, shortlisted, 2008 ** Nita Kibble Literary Award, winner, 2009 ** New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction and Community Relations Commission Award, shortlisted, 2009 ** Festival Awards for Literature (SA), Award for Non-Fiction, shortlisted, 2010 ** The Australian Historical Association Awards, Magarey Medal for Biography, shortlisted, 2010 *''Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook'' ** National Biography Award, shortlisted, 2020

Fellowships

* Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship, 1994 * Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship ** shortlisted, for a biography of

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (né Helpman) (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet (no ...

, 2016 ** winner, for a biography of

Vida Goldstein Vida Jane Mary Goldstein (pron. ) (13 April 186915 August 1949) was an Women's suffrage in Australia, Australian suffragist and social reformer. She was one of four female candidates at the 1903 Australian federal election, 1903 federal election ...

, 2018

Works

Biography and memoir

*''A Certain Style: Beatrice Davis, a Literary Life'', Viking, 2001 *''An Exacting Heart: The Story of Hephzibah Menuhin'', Viking, 2008 *''The Making of Julia Gillard'', Viking, 2009 *''Take Your Best Shot: The Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard'', Penguin, 2013 *''Beyond Words: A Year with Kenneth Cook'', University of Queensland Press, 2019 *''Vida: A Woman For Our Time'', Penguin, 2020

Non-fiction

*''Out of the Bakelite Box: The Heyday of Australian Radio'', Angus & Robertson, 1983 *''In the Half Light: Life as a Child in Australia 1900-1970'', Angus & Robertson, 1988

Young adult fiction

*''Angel Claws, I Love You'', Puffin, 1992 *''Heartbreak High'', 1998 *''Making Up, Breaking Up'', ABC Books, 1998 *''Love, Hate'', ABC Books, 1998 *''Secrets and Lies'', ABC Books, 1999 *''Tough Call'', ABC Books, 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Jacqueline 1947 births Living people Australian biographers Australian women biographers 20th-century Australian women writers Australian women memoirists