Melissa Lucashenko is an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples o ...

writer of adult

literary fiction Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, non-genre fiction or serious fiction is a label that, in the book trade, refers to market novels that do not fit neatly into an established genre (see genre fiction); or, otherwise, refers to novels that are ch ...

and literary non-fiction, who has also written novels for teenagers. In 2013 at The

Walkley Awards The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

, she won the "Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words) Award" for her piece ''Sinking below sight: Down and out in Brisbane and Logan''. In 2019, she won the

Miles Franklin award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879– ...

for ''

Too Much Lip ''Too Much Lip'' (2018) is a novel by Australian author Melissa Lucashenko. It was shortlisted for the 2019 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing and the Stella Award. It was the winner of the 2019 Miles Franklin Award. Pl ...

''.

Early life and education

Melissa Lucashenko was born in 1967 in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, Australia. Her heritage is Bundjalung and European. She is a graduate of

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asia ...

(1990), with an honours degree in

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

. In 1992 she was a founding member of Sisters Inside, an organisation which supports women and girls in prison.

Writing career

She has said that when she began writing seriously "there was still a glaring hole in Australian literature", with almost no prominent Aboriginal voices and with only the

University of Queensland Press Established in 1948, University of Queensland Press (UQP) is an Australian publishing house. Founded as a traditional university press, UQP has since branched into publishing books for general readers in the areas of fiction, non-fiction, poetr ...

and a few other small outlets publishing the work of Aboriginal writers. When asked whether she considers herself primarily a writer, or an

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

writer, she writes that the question runs into semantic difficulties, because the word means different things to different people. Lucashenko's first work to be published was the novel '' Steam Pigs'' (1997), which won the

Dobbie 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 ...

for Australian women's fiction. It was also a short-list nominee for the NSW Premier's Award and the regional

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Bes ...

. In 1998 she released the novel ''Killing Darcy'', which won the Aurora Prize of the Royal Blind Society, was a finalist for the 1998

Aurealis Award for best young-adult novel The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been fir ...

and named on the 1998 James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award long list. In 1999 her third novel, ''Hard Yards'' was published and was a finalist in both the 1999

NSW Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

and the 2001

Courier-Mail Book of the Year ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

. In 2002 her fourth novel ''Too Flash'', written for young adults, was published. Lucashenko's fifth novel, ''Mullumbimby'', won the prestigious Deloitte Fiction Book Award in 2013 and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing in 2014, as well as being nominated for several other awards. In 2015 it was longlisted for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

. She is also an accomplished essayist, winning the 2013 "Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words)"

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

for ''Sinking below sight: Down and out in Brisbane and Logan''. Speaking about this essay, Lucashenko said that she was partly informed by her studies in public policy: "...one thing I was trying to bring out in the piece was the odd mix of structural factors and just sheer luck, good and bad, that makes up people's lives. All of these women are poor because of the violence and because of intergenerational poverty, and those things can be attacked in policy and should be attacked in policy.". In September 2015, in a collaboration with Poets House in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, a recording of six First Nations Australia Writers Network members reading their work was presented at a special event, which was recorded. The readers were Lucashenko, Jeanine Leane, Dub Leffler,

Bruce Pascoe Bruce Pascoe (born 1947) is an Aboriginal Australian writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children's literature. As well as his own name, Pascoe has written under the pen names Murray Gray and Leopold Glass. Since August 2 ...

Jared Thomas Jared Thomas (born 1976) is an Australian author of children's fiction, playwright and museum curator. Several of his books have been shortlisted for awards, and he has been awarded three writing fellowships. In May 2018 he began a 12-month sec ...

and

Ellen van Neerven Ellen van Neerven (born 1990) is an Aboriginal Australian author, educator and editor. They are queer and non-binary. Their first work of fiction, ''Heat and Light'' (2013), won several awards, and in 2019 Van Neerven won the Queensland Premie ...

. Lucashenko was awarded the Copyright Agency Author Fellowship in 2016 to focus on her new novel, which was published as ''Too Much Lip'' in 2018. In early 2019, the novel was shortlisted for the

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

. Judges called it "...a fearless, searing and unvarnished portrait of generational trauma cut through with acerbic humour." The novel went on to win the 2019 Miles Franklin Award. In May 2019, Cenozoic Pictures optioned ''Too Much Lip'' for a screen adaptation, with Lucashenko as a co-writer and co-creator alongside Cenozoic's Veronica Gleeson.

Personal life and family

In March 2014

The Moth The Moth is a non-profit group based in New York City dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featurin ...

Radio Hour aired a recording of Lucashenko recounting the story of moving with her husband and daughter back to the Aboriginal lands in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

(where her great-grandmother grew up), and subsequent divorce from her husband and mental illness of her daughter.

Bibliography

Novels

*'' Steam Pigs'', University of Queensland Press (1997) *''Killing Darcy'', University of Queensland Press (1998) (YA novel) *''Hard Yards'', University of Queensland Press (1999) *''Too Flash'', IAD Press (2002) (YA novel) *''Uptown Girl'', University of Queensland Press (2002) * ''Mullumbimby'', University of Queensland Press (2013) *''

'', University of Queensland Press (2018)

Essays

*"Whiteness" or "I'm not racist, but.." (undated) *"Who let the dogs out?" (undated) *"Not quite white in the head" in ''Griffith Review'' edition 2 (2004) *"Our bodies" in ''Making Perfect Bodies'', ''Griffith Review'', edition 4 (2005) *"Globalisation, Kimberley style" in ''Griffith Review'', edition 6 (2005) *"How green is my valley?" in ''Griffith Review'', edition 12 (2007) *"On the same page, right?" in ''Griffith Review'', edition 26 (2009) *"The silent majority" in ''Stories for Today'', edition 26 (2009) *"Sinking below sight" in ''Griffith Review'', edition 41 (2013) (Winner of a 2013 Walkley Award and 2014 George Munster Award for Independent Journalism) * "History's footnote, ''or,'' a Wolvi incident", pp. 63–69, in: ''Destroying the Joint: Why women have to change the world'', edited by Jane Caro, (UQP, 2013) *

List of all essays in Griffith Review

Nominations and awards

Aurealis Award for best young adult novel

*1998: Nomination: ''Killing Darcy''

Aurora Prize of the Royal Blind Society

*1998: Winner: ''Killing Darcy''

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...

*2019: Longlist: ''Too Much Lip''

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Bes ...

*1997: Nomination: ''Steam Pigs''

Courier-Mail Book of the Year

*2001: Nomination: ''Hard Yards''

Dobbie 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 ...

*1998: Winner: ''Steam Pigs''

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

*2015: Longlist: ''Mullumbimby'' *2020: Longlist: ''Too Much Lip''

James Tiptree Jr Award

*1998: Longlist: ''Killing Darcy''

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879– ...

*2014: Longlist: ''Mullumbimby'' *2019: Winner: ''Too Much Lip''

Nita B Kibble Literary Award

*2014: Shortlist: ''Mullumbimby''

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

*1997: Shortlist ''Steam Pigs'' *1999: Shortlist: ''Hard Yards'' *2019: Shortlist: ''Too Much Lip''

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

*2014: Longlist: ''Mullumbimby'' *2019: Shortlist: ''Too Much Lip''

Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing

*2014: Winner: ''Mullumbimby'' *2019: Shortlist: ''Too Much Lip''

Walkley Award: Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words)

* 2013: Winner: "Sinking below sight" in ''Griffith Review'', edition 41

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucashenko, Melissa 1967 births Living people 20th-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian novelists Australian essayists Australian women novelists 20th-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian women writers 20th-century essayists 21st-century essayists Indigenous Australian writers Miles Franklin Award winners Writers from Brisbane Bundjalung people Australian people of Ukrainian descent

Early life and education

Writing career

Personal life and family

Bibliography

Novels

Essays

List of all essays in Griffith Review

Nominations and awards

Aurora Prize of the Royal Blind Society

Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Bes ...

Courier-Mail Book of the Year

Dobbie 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 ...

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

James Tiptree Jr Award

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879– ...

Nita B Kibble Literary Award

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, t ...

Queensland Literary Awards: Deloitte Fiction Book Award

Queensland Literary Awards: Queensland Premier's Award for a work of State Significance

Queensland Literary Awards: The University of Queensland Fiction Book Award

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing

Walkley Award: Feature Writing Long (over 4000 words)

References

Further reading

External links