The Joyce Parkes Women

The Joyce Parkes Women’s Writers’ Prize

Sponsored by The Australian Irish Heritage Association

Joyce Parkes Writers Prize

Winner: “Say World”

By Carol Millner

Resident of Coolbinia , WA

Judge’s Report by Anne Partlon

It was exciting to note a big increase in the number of entries this year, so congratulations to the organisers and contestants for raising the profile of the Award and really making it count. There was a commensurate improvement in the standard of writing and, while this made the judge’s job tougher, it was one of the pleasanter challenges to present themselves.

The topic this year was ‘The Difference Between Harm and Hurt’ and most entrants stuck to the script. As in previous years, writers were inspired to attack the theme under different forms. Short stories predominated, but the essay was well represented, with the fable also making an appearance. Fantasy proved a popular genre, with several entries flirting with the supernatural. They included a ghost story, a tall tale and a dream sequence with mythic overtones.

Themes ranged from death and dying, illness, loss, family life, mothers and daughters, sons and mothers, violence, childhood and the past. Only one – ‘Believe It or Not,’ a whimsical tale by ‘Nellie Ashton’ – had an Irish flavour. Sad to relate, the winner does not exhibit any overt Irish sensibilities, quite the reverse in fact, but more on that in a moment.

On the selected topic – ‘The Difference Between Harm and Hurt’ – entrants took a variety of positions. Some resorted to dictionary definitions, others chose a more dramatic interpretation. The consensus was that hurt could include a physical or psychological injury, but that harm referred to the lifelong repercussions, flowing from the original wound.

After much agonising, I managed to produce a short list of three. In no particular order, these were ‘Still’ by Cathryn Moffat, ‘Getting It Right At Boga Boga’ by Marjorie Ward, and ‘Say World,’ by Carol Millner. ‘Still,’ a moving account of the relationship between a woman and her invalid husband, vividly illustrated the ‘harm/hurt’ dichotomy, without drawing obvious attention to the topic. I liked its subtlety and the ambiguity of the title which could mean either silence, the passage of time or immobility. ‘Getting It Right At Boga Boga’ struck an authentic note with its affectionate and occasionally humorous evocation of rural life.

But the clear winner was ‘Say World,’ by Carol Millner, for her short story about a classroom bullying incident whose reverberations coloured the victim’s adult life and her relationship with her own children. Set in New Zealand , it’s narrated in the first person by the woman’s daughter who, after her mother’s death, learns something about her which illuminates her mother’s whole personality. In this way, the story lightly blends important issues of exile, loss and childhood trauma and, like ‘Still,’ it graphically demonstrates the difference between harm and hurt, without the need for further explanation. Alas, the only Irish connection I can make is stylistic, since the central character of the mother is Scottish! The closing epiphany recalls a convention popularised by James Joyce while its preoccupation with the outsider agrees with Irish writer Frank O’Connor’s theory of the short story.

Congratulations to the winner and, indeed, to all the entrants for raising the bar in this year’s competition.

To read the winning entry click here

The Joyce Parkes Writers Prize is sponsored by the Australian Irish Heritage Association, which is based in Subiaco , Western Australia . Joyce Parkes is the patron of this prize, which is aimed at promoting and encouraging women as writers in Australia .

Joyce Parkes is a well known poet, living in WA. In the late 1970s she was for a number of years on the WA Government's 'Discrimination Committee', her portfolio was Employment and she reported on discrimination discovered in that aspect of our quotidian straits. She is a Past President of International PEN (Poets,Essayists and Novelists) Perth Centre - Australia.. Since December 2002 she has worked as a Cultural and Arts Policy (CAP) Committee Member for the WA Government.

She has published poetry in the following; Canberra Times, ACT; Lip-Service, WA; Breakaway, WA; Artlook, WA; POETRY Australia, NSW; Fling!, Vic.; The Weekend Australian, NSW; Overland, Vic; Sepia, England; Walker on the Top Rail, WA; Westerly, WA; Patterns, WA; Fremantle Arts Review, WA; Wordhord, WA; Celebrations, WA; The Road of Poems and Borders, Finland; (M)other Tongues, Canada; The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW; The Phoenix Review, ACT; The Midland Reporter, WA; Social Images, ACT; Stet, SA; Pen International, England; Kalla Yeedip Arts, WA; The Western Review, WA; The Western Word, WA; The New England Review, NSW; PEN-Perth, WA; It's a Woman's World, PEN Germany; Thylazine's Poets for Peace Project, N.T.; Alison Croggon's Poets Against War; WA; m-a-g/, USA; The Journal, of the Australian Irish Heritage Association, WA.

First Prize is $200.00. This prize is run annually, and is open to all female writers in Australia .

Further details regarding entry rules and topics may be found at the AIHA website; www.irishheritage.net

The Australian Irish Heritage Association would like to congratulate all entrants.

v Winning entries may be published in the Association’s magazine The Journal and its website. Entry assumes consent to publication. Copyright remains with the author.

v Entries must be the entrant’s original work, not previously published, broadcast or awarded a literary prize.

v Work submitted must be a copy of the original work (the original should be retained by the entrant). Entries will not be returned.

v The work must be in ENGLISH. The Macquarie Dictionary is the spelling standard

v The work must be typed, double spaced, on one side only of A4 with 2cm margins.

v Each page is to be numbered, bear the title of the entry and be stapled together at the top left – hand corner only. The real name of the entrant must NOT appear on the manuscript.

v A PEN NAME MUST BE USED.

v A completed entry form must accompany each entry. Entry forms may be photocopied.

v The Judges’ decision will be final. Any attempt to communicate with a Judge will result in disqualification.

v Entries should be posted to

Australian Irish Heritage Association

PO Box 1583

Subiaco WA 6904

v Late entries will not be considered.

v The competition is open to all Australian women.

v Competitors wishing a list of prize winners should enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope, or visit our web site at www.irishheritage.net.