A collection of short stories inspired by birds, an award-winning play and a book of poetry grappling with heritage are among those nominated for the 2022 ACT Book of the Year Award.
The seven finalists, selected from the 43 eligible nominations received for books published in 2021, were announced by Minister for the Arts Tara Cheyne on Sunday.
Each year the ACT Book of the Year Award recognises high-quality contemporary literary works by ACT-based authors. This year's nominations showcase excellent works across the genres of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
The finalists are Milk by Dylan van den Berg, The Kindness of Birds by Merlinda Bobis, Two Afternoons in the Kabul Stadium: A History of Afghanistan Through Clothes, Carpets and the Camera by Tim Bonyhady, Killernova by Omar Musa, Believe in Me by Lucy Neave, Failures of Command: The Death of Private Robert Poate by Hugh Poate, and As Beautiful As Any Other: A Memoir of My Body by Kaya Wilson.
"Congratulations to the shortlisted authors for the 2022 Book of the Year Award," Ms Cheyne said.
"The high calibre of all our nominees this year demonstrates the depth of writing talent in our city, highlighting their excellence and creativity.
"The award recognises the important contribution our local authors make to the ACT's arts and culture and aims to inspire emerging local writers to be part of the Canberra story.
"If you have an idea, a story to tell, I encourage you to write that book and make that dream a reality."
Van den Berg's Milk has already been named the winner of the 2021 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards and started life as a production by The Street Theatre.
It is a story of longing, connection and the ghosts of the past, as one young Palawa man sits down to talk with his ancestor.
The Kindness of Birds by Bobis is a collection of 14 stories, many with recurring characters and themes, and are threaded through with both fact and fiction.
The stories all have as a motif, the presence and kindness of birds including cockatoos, orioles, rosellas, doves, a bittern, and an owl.
Bonyhady's Two Afternoons in the Kabul Stadium offers a history of Afghanistan through visuals as well as a new way of seeing the country and a new way of understanding it. By looking through clothes, carpets and photographs to give detailed insights into a poorly understood country.
Killernova, by Musa, is a collection of prints and poems, that demonstrate an exercise in instinct, patience and absorption. The book sees the poet, writer and rapper who is a proudly Malaysian-Australia, grapple with his heritage, combining the ancient art of wooden art carvings and fiery poetry.
Neave's Believe in Me dissects a dysfunctional family dynamic, examining how the disconnection that can grow and fester between a parent and child when things aren't talked about can shape an adult's entire life journey.
Failures of Command is a personal story for its author Hugh Poate. It is the story of his quest for answers following the death of his son, Private Robert Poate, and the shocking facts that emerged.
On August 29, 2012, Private Robert Poate, Lance Corporal Rick Milosevic and Sapper James Martin were killed during an insider - or green-on-blue - attack in Afghanistan. Their killer, a supposed ally, was a Taliban sleeper in the ranks of the Afghan National Army.
And finally, As Beautiful As Any Other: A Memoir of My Body is Wilson's memoir. When Wilson came out to his parents as transgender, a year after a near-death surfing accident and just weeks before his father's death, he was met with a startling family history of concealed queerness and shame.
The book weaves together intimate examinations of the forces that have shaped Wilson's life, and his body: vulnerability and power, grief and trauma, science and narrative.
The winner of the ACT Book of the Year will be announced in the coming weeks.
Nominations for ACT Book of the Year 2023 will open on May 1, 2023.
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