In a surprise decision, Echoes by Shu Ling Chua and We are Speaking in Code by Tanya Vavilova are the joint winners of the Small Press Network’s Book of the Year (BOTY) Award.
Shu-Ling Chua said: ‘When I learnt Echoes had co-won the SPN BOTY award, I ran to tell Mum and burst into tears! I thank the judges, series curator Fran Berry, my wonderful editor Camha Pham, and everyone who has given my little book their time and a home. I hope my essays contribute to expanding ideas of “Asian-Australian literature” and encourage more multilingual writing. Small presses, literary journals and zines foster creative risk-taking and are essential to a vibrant literary landscape that is genuinely inclusive and just.’
