In 2018, over 720 secondary school students from across Australia entered The John Marsden & Hachette Australia Prize for Young Writers. Fifteen talented young students made it on to the shortlist in categories of fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

In the lead-up to announcing the winners at the 2018 Melbourne Writers Festival, we’re introducing you to each and every young writer on our list. Meet our nonfiction writers!

Lucinda Jackson | NSW | Starving in Silence

Why do you write nonfiction?

Honestly, I’ve never actually written any nonfiction before this. I usually only write short stories and novels. I just stumbled across this competition and thought I’d give it a shot.

Who are your favourite writers? Or your favourite books?

Where to begin? I’ve been a reader my whole life and have a lot of favourite books. Still, if I had to pick, it would probably be a tie between all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Can you tell us a bit about your shortlisted John Marsden Prize submission?

My nonfiction piece ‘Starving in Silence’ is based on my experience with anorexia nervosa; specifically, about how my disorder was essentially invisible because of all the myths and misconceptions surrounding it in our society.

Why did you choose to write it?

I wrote it because far too many anorexia sufferers receive poor treatment and remain sick for far too long because of a fundamental misunderstanding of what anorexia actually is, even by some doctors. Some aren’t even diagnosed or treated at all. This is a very serious issue, one I have experienced myself, and like any problem, it isn’t going to go away until someone points it out and does something about it.

Octavia Chandler | NSW | In My Mind

Why do you write nonfiction?

I write non-fiction because it allows me to make sense of my individual perception of moments in my life in a way that I hope others can interpret to find comfort in their own experiences. I think the contemplative process of sifting through my memories to uncover the meanings I’ve attached to each is something that has always been fairly second nature to me, but I know this constant process of self-examination can become overwhelming for anyone when it only occupies your inner headspace. So, when I place words on a page to externalise these real moments as non-fiction, I hope not only to resolve my own dissonance during times of grief coupled with insight, but also perhaps reflect other’s discordant feelings in a way that is more palpable and contained than the inner spirals of introspection I think we all fall into.

Who are your favourite writers? Or your favourite books?

Surprisingly, in what I think is a complete departure from my work, most of my favourite authors and their books fall under the genre of philosophical fiction. Some years ago my Dad gave me his copy of Albert Camus’ The Stranger and I became captivated with any novel seeking to uncover definitive meaning in what can feel like a world of vague meaninglessness. That’s why it is so interesting to me that I think I write best in the style of the memoir as the writers and narratives of the genre are relatively new to my admiration. Before writing this piece, I had just finished Vladimir Nabokov’s memoir Speak Memory, and while Nabakov is a master of language to which my writing could not compare, I think his explorations of his misplaced nostalgia and deeply contemplative style bled into and shaped my work. It’s as though after being so engrossed yet disoriented by reading works like Sartre’s Nausea and Kafka’s The Trial, aiming to divulge higher-order truths of humanity, it’s genuinely refreshing to find that it’s in fact authors like Nabokov who truly capture what it means to be human just by exposing their own lives.

Can you tell us a bit about your shortlisted John Marsden Prize submission?

‘In My Mind’ attempts to convey the mental separation and dissonance that occupied my consciousness when faced with the death of my Nana, parallel to the cultural estrangement I felt within the religious practice of her funeral. As the title suggests, these disconnections were less the state of reality, but an amalgamation of the inner grieving thoughts in my head trying to recover my connection to her—something I think often manifests in grief as the fear of only remembering a loved one’s end state doesn’t just cut off the painful memories, but the fond memories too.

Why did you choose to write it?

To be honest, the whole experience I wrote about was deeply uncomfortable at the time. It felt like a very ugly part of my life and my personal being as I gracelessly navigated both a culture I felt an outsider to and the grieving process. But I nonetheless chose to write about it because, as I said before, the self-reflection process that non-fiction writing necessitates was not only personally cathartic, recovering the vivid and tender memories I had of my Nana, but hopefully meaningful for those who read it by divulging the true vulnerability of times of grief and outsiderness.

Jessica Islam | NSW | Unveiled

Why do you write nonfiction/fiction/poetry?
Writing in a non-fiction style enables me to explore the multiple aspects of writing and particularly with the personal essay, I was able to write in a range of styles and incorporate personal anecdotes or scientific information as I go. Writing is such a powerful tool, I love to write and I love to read! I have almost exclusively written fiction and poetry, but when I had stumbled across personal essays, I had discovered an ease in writing that I had not felt before – I could write what I wanted, how I wanted and it was an exact replica of what was going on inside my head. Non-fiction allows me to integrate parts of reality in my writing, questioning the fundamental workings of our universe and common aspects of our lives that go on unacknowledged. Non-fiction is an intricate form of fiction, that plunges readers deep into thought about their own world.

Who are your favourite writers? Or your favourite books?

My favourite books include, but are not limited to, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I love all their writing styles, the complexity of their stories and their characters as well as how each one leaves me with an everlasting admiration for these authors despite reading their novels years ago. I also have a deep love for history books specifically surrounding World War 2 and the Russian Revolution. These elements of history brought to light through these books have truly impacted me and the way I see the world around me, so much more than any fiction novel.

Can you tell us a bit about your shortlisted John Marsden Prize submission?

‘Unveiled’ is a personal essay that explores the notion of thin places, places which feel divine – almost as if the boundaries between heaven and the physical world were thinning. During my trip overseas, I had come across such places and knew, instantly, the incomprehensible power they held. I wanted to explore these places and their role, why we seek them, what it is that draws us towards them and whether or not they are actually as powerful as they appear to be.

Why did you choose to write it?

Throughout our English course at school, we explored the divine power of the physical landscape in transforming ourselves as humans. Undeniably, the natural world is a magnificent phenomenon with an abundance of secrets and hidden gems. This concept has been thoroughly explored by many great authors and poets, and I was intrigued at the influence of such places. During a conversation, I was reminiscing about Uzbekistan and how their landscape transformed my way of seeing of the world and how I gained a deeper admiration for the world I had grown up in. I had such a powerful journey, I wanted to write it down and share my experience to stimulate a similar discussion in those who read it, to enable them to gain a more profound appreciation for the natural world as I had. Our world is precious, so why not acknowledge it?

Lydia Schofield | VIC | Hiatus

 

Shahla Rahman | VIC | The Journey of My Life So Far

Why do you write nonfiction?

I write non-fiction because it’s an effective way of communicating with the readers. It shows the journey of an individual’s life and how they have overcome obstacles to grow as a person. I am passionate about writing non-fiction as I can share my story and the experiences that I have gone through whether positive or negative with others and learn about their stories. This gives us a chance to view and get to know many different experiences based on true stories.

Who are your favourite writers? Or your favourite books?

My favourite writers are Najwa Zebian and J K Rowling. They have inspired me with their experiences and how well they have survived the obstacles they have gone through in their lives. Reflecting on their experiences I have come to learn that we all have the potential to face the challenges in our lives and grow stronger as an individual. My favourite books are the Parvana series by Deborah Ellis. These books similarly reflect on my life where Parvana also faces many challenges in her life while disguising herself as boy to become the only bread winner in her family.
Reading my favourite books reminds me of how far I have come in my journey and how much I have accomplished through my experiences.

Can you tell us a bit about your shortlisted John Marsden Prize submission?

I have written a non-fiction story based on my experiences in Afghanistan compared with Australia so far. My story titled ‘The Journey of My Life So Far’, reflects upon the challenges that I have gone through in my life to reach where I am today. When I was living in Afghanistan, my parents had faced many obstacles such as not being able to provide for us or send us to school to be educated. Life in Afghanistan proved to be extremely difficult compared to Australia. Living in Australia has taught me to be thankful for what I have with the various opportunities that are available for me. Having equal rights and opportunities to fulfill my dreams and being able to go to school to be educated are the biggest accomplishments in my life. I am very thankful
to my parents for their continuous hard work and support to find us a better future. They have constantly encouraged me to work hard and not give up. We finally have every potential to achieve the impossible and live the life we had imagined.

Why did you choose to write it?

I chose to write non-fiction as it can be very powerful when it comes to reflecting about your own life. I wrote this story to connect with people’s hearts and reflect upon my struggles and how I had overcome those struggles in my life. Through my journey so far, I have learnt many skills that has helped me grow and develop as an individual. I chose to write it because I wanted others to know about my story and that through hard work everything is possible. In writing this story I wanted to pass on the message that life throws many challenges at us and it up to us to either accept and overcome those obstacles or give up in achieving your dreams.