Dr Josh Kemp is presented with the Emerging Writer Award by Minister for Culture and the Arts Honorable David Templeman and WA author Renee Pettitt-Schipp.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) PhD graduate Dr Josh Kemp has won the Emerging Writer category at the 2023 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards for his debut novel Banjawarn.
It is the third prestigious accolade for Dr Kemp and Banjawarn, having previously been named co-winner of the 2021 Dorothy Hewett Award, and winner of the 2022 Ned Kelly Award for Best Debut Crime Fiction.
Dr Kemp's latest manuscript Jasper Cliff was also recently shortlisted for a 2023 Fogarty Literary Award and will be published by Fremantle Press in July, 2024.
Banjawarn tells the tale of Garreth Hoyle, a true crime writer whose destructive love affair with hallucinogenic drugs has sent him searching for ghosts in the unforgiving mallee desert of Western Australia.
Heading north through Kalgoorlie, Garreth attempts to score off old friends from his shearing days on Banjawarn Station. His journey takes an unexpected detour when he discovers an abandoned ten-year-old girl and decides to return her to her estranged father in Leonora, instead of alerting authorities. Together they begin the road trip from hell through the scorched heart of the state's northern goldfields.
Dr Kemp said receiving the Western Australian Premier's Book Award was an incredible and surprising honour.
"The Western Australian Premier's Prizes are so prestigious and usually reserved for literary works, so I'm considering this a win for genre writers," he said.
"While Banjawarn does have a strong literary quality, it's still very strongly a gothic crime novel.
"I hope other emerging authors of genre fiction will be as excited by this as I am."
Advice for aspiring writers
When asked if he had one piece of advice for other emerging writers, Dr Kemp replied "write short fiction".
Dr Kemp explained his true passion was always longer fiction, such as novels or novellas, and for many years he resisted trying to write short stories.
"When I finally did give it a go, what I realised was Australia has fantastic selection of literary journals to submit to, such as Overland and Kill Your Darlings and Western Australia's very own Westerly," he said.
"Not to mention the many short story competitions that are run in Australia every year.
"Even if writing short fiction isn't your passion, it's a great way to get your name and work noticed and will prove that you can produce publishable work when it's time to submit a novel for consideration."
Studying at ECU
Dr Kemp studied a Bachelor of Arts at ECU graduating 2012, and later returned to complete a PhD that was conferred in 2022. It was an experience that he said was invaluable as an emerging writer.
"The Bachelor of Arts at ECU's South-West Campus was so exciting and inclusive," Dr Kemp said.
"As a writer of genre, I had been concerned my work might not be taken as seriously as others – assuming universities would focus harder on literary works – but what I found was a celebration of genre fiction and a community of like-minded authors," Dr Kemp explained.
"Completing the Bachelor of Arts prepared me for the publishing world and allowed me the opportunity to refine my work with experienced and published writers.
"I owe much of Banjawarn's success to my experience at ECU and specifically Associate Professor Donna Mazza."
He recommended his study pathway to other budding writers.
"Many of the creative writing units at ECU require the student to write a short story for assignments," Dr Kemp said.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for emerging writers to hone their craft with feedback from lecturers, many are often published authors themselves, as well as their fellow students."
Dr Kemp said a story written for an assignment may eventually find itself published in one of the country's leading literary journals.
"This is one example of the many opportunities studying creative writing at ECU provides, experiences which are truly invaluable for emerging writers," he said.
If you're interested in learning more about studying writing at ECU, visit the Bachelor of Arts course webpage.
New postgraduate courses in creative writing will also be available in 2024, for further information speak to ECU's Future Students team by calling 134 328.
