MEDIA RELEASE:
Wednesday 12th August 2015
THE BIG ISSUEANNOUNCES11th ANNUAL FICTION EDITION
The Big Issue’s 11th annual Fiction Editionwill be released on Friday 14th August. The editionfeatures an unprecedented number of stories: fourteen pieces, including four commissioned writers and ten chosen from open submissions.
The Fiction Edition showcases commissions from authors Graeme Simsion, who wrote the hugely successful The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect; UK author SJ Watson, whose bestselling book Before I Go to Sleep will take a silver screen turn later this year; Maxine Beneba Clarke, whose critically acclaimed short story collection, Foreign Soil, collected a swag of awards including the 2013 Victorian Premier's Award for an Unpublished Manuscript; and Emily Bitto, whose debut novel The Strays earned her the 2015 Stella Award.
This year, submissions were open to all writers – established and emerging – with stories read ‘blind’ with no names attached. Ten stories were chosen from almost 400 submissions and will be published alongside specially commissioned photography from Christina Simons.
The ten open submission authors chosen from a strong field of contenders are:Mark Smith, Lee Kofman, Jane Downing, Laura Elvery, Peggy Frew, Kate Elkington, Sean Fallon, Maree Kimberley, Melissa Beit and Jo Case.
The Big IssueEditor,Alan Attwood,said he was struck by how many of this year’s submissions came from writers who have already had work published.
“Every year we watch in amazement as a steady stream of submissions for the Fiction Edition come into our office; a stream that becomes a torrent close to deadline. The Fiction Edition is something that people look out for; something that has earned a place on the Australian literary calendar.”
By buying a copy for $6, fiction lovers will not only enjoy a great read but will support a worthy cause, with $3 from each sale going into the pockets of homeless and disadvantaged people. Since 1996, more than ten million copies of The Big Issue have been sold around the country, putting over $20 million into the pockets of sellers.
The 2015 Fiction Edition will feature sixteen more pages than regular editions of The Big Issue, thanks to a grant from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund and will be available nationally until August 28th.
A special launch event will be held as part of the Melbourne Writers’ Festival, where Attwood and panelists will celebrate 11 years of the Fiction Edition and discuss this year’s contributions.
Melbourne Writers Festival launch (free event):
Date:Friday, 21 August
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Optic Festival Club, Federation Square, Melbourne
Interviews, photos and vision opportunities are available with Alan Attwood, Sean Fallon, Graeme Simsion, Emily Bitto, Lee Kofman, SJ Watson, Mark Smith, Maree Kimberly, Jo Case, Laura Elvery, Kate Elkington and Melissa Beit.
Please see second page of release for author bios and story blurbs.
…ENDS…
Media contact:
Simone Flanagan – M: 0403292180 E:
Please contact Simone for a cover image of The Big Issue’s 2015Fiction Edition or images of authors.
THE BIG ISSUE FICTION EDITION AUTHORS:
Graeme SimsionThe Life and Times of Greasy Joe – It’s the 1970s and Joe likes women, drinking and driving a two-seater Fiat.
Graemeis the author of The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect (Text). He lives in Melbourne.
SJ WatsonWalking the Tightrope – A birthday meal – with some unexpectedly bitter ingredients.
SJwas born in the Midlands and lives in London. His first novel was the award-winning Before I Go to Sleep, which has sold more than four million copies in more than 40 languages around the world. It was recently adapted into a major movie starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong. His latest novel is the highly acclaimed Second Life, published by Text.
Maxine Beneba ClarkeOrientation Day – Negotiating the first day of school – and the race politics of 1950s London.
Maxineis an Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent. She is the author of the poetry collections Gil Scott Heron is on Parole and Nothing Here Needs Fixing. Her short fiction collection Foreign Soil won the 2013 Victorian Premiers Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, the 2015 ABIA Award for Best Literary Fiction and the 2015Indie Award for Best Debut Fiction. She writes for The Saturday Paper and hosts The Wheeler Centre’s ‘F Word’ talk series on feminism.
Emily BittoDream a Highway – You sleep, you dream, but you do not stop travelling.
Emilyis the winner of the 2015 Stella Prize for her debut novel, The Strays. She lives in Melbourne, where she has taught creative writing for several years, and now runs a bar in Carlton called Heartattack and Vine.
Mark SmithOld Man’s Country – The old man sitting in the ute has one demand, even if the flood rains are coming.
Marklives, writes, surfs and works on Victoria’s west coast. His writing has appeared in Best Australian Stories, The Australian and Review of Australian Fiction, among others and he has won a number of awards, including The Alan Marshall Short Story Prize and the 2015 Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize.
Lee KofmanLuna Park a la Moscow – The man who loves you will kiss your scar.
Leeis the author of the memoir The Dangerous Bride (MUP 2014) and three fiction books. Her short works have been widely published in Australia, the UK, Scotland, Canada and the US, including Best Australian Stories, Best Australian Essays and Meanjin. She teaches and mentors writers. More at
Jane Downing I Am Calling from Telstra – What if unwanted callers answered back?
Jane has been published in journals around Australia, including in Southerly, Overland, Island, Verandah, Visible Ink and The Big Issue (2013 Fiction Edition). Her novels, The Trickster and The Lost Tribe were published by Pandanus Books and she has a Doctor of Creative Arts degree from UTS.
Laura ElveryPudding – Dahlia provides ancient grains and modern wisdom™.
Laurais a PhD candidate and tutor at QUT. She has been shortlisted for the Overland Victoria University Short Story Prize for New and Emerging Writers, and the Overland NUW Fair Australia Prize. In 2013, Laura won the Josephine Ulrick Literature Prize. She is working on her fiction manuscript.
Peggy FrewRunaways– A childish adventure becomes all too grown up.
Peggyis a musician and writer whose work has been published inKill Your Darlings,The Big IssueandMeanjin. Her debut novel,House of Sticks, won the 2010 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an unpublished manuscript. Her second novel,Hope Farm, will be published by Scribe in October.
Kate ElkingtonBedrock – A freeway tunnels under Sean’s restaurant, potholes are appearing outside his house – and his wife’s body clock is ticking.
Kateis a Queensland writer completing a Doctor of Creative Arts (Creative Writing) and has just completed a short story collection, Wool Spin Burn. Kate’s fiction has been published in literary journals and anthologies including The Best Australian Stories 2014, Overland, Meanjin, Westerly, Kill Your Darlings and TEXT Journal.
Sean FallonThe Line – A family waits in the fun park for the bumpy ride to begin.
Seanis originally from England but currently lives and works in Melbourne. He is a contributor to the movie website Audienceseverywhere.net and has published an EBook of 100 100-word stories called Marrying the Animal, which is available on Amazon.
Maree KimberleyNinehearts – Charity Ninehearts tattoos eyelids, removes appendixes and sets broken bones – but a new patient has an unprecedented request.
Maree has published a children’s book along with articles, short stories and flash fiction across several genres. Her obsessions include neuroscience and things grotesque, bizarre and strange. She also has a penchant for circuses. Maree enjoys combining her obsessions into stories but sometimes she just writes about things that happen.
Melissa BeitPseudechisAustralis – Dealing with a dangerous bedfellow.
Melissahas had stories published in Southerly, Meanjin,Sleepers Almanac, Best Australian Stories, New Australian Stories, Skive Magazine The Australian Women’s Weekly and various national and international anthologies. She lives in coastal NSW with her family and a bunch of chooks.
Jo CaseSomething Wild – Kristen wore the wrong T-shirt, and met the wrong man, at the primary school fundraiser.
Jois the author of Boomer and Me: A Memoir of Motherhood and Asperger’s. She is program manager of Melbourne Writers Festival and a former books editor of The Big Issue, where she co-edited three fiction editions. She is, of course, beyond thrilled to now be published in one.