Spinifex Baby by Karen Harrland (Finch: Sydney, 2014).
Finch Publishing wants to give away one copy of this year’s winner of the Finch Memoir Prize to Australian Women Writers’ Challenge readers!
In Spinifex Baby Karen Harrland shares the story of life with her partner, Al Dermer, on a station in the Simpson Desert. They moved from Tasmania to take on the challenge of transforming the former cattle station into an environmental reserve. They felt they were ready for the difficulties of isolation and an unforgiving climate, but Karen unexpectedly fell pregnant.
Karen Harrland writes:
“The biggest challenge I would face would not be from the piercing sun, not from the unforgiving dust, not even from the aching loneliness of isolation, but from the treachery from my own self.”
Through sheer determination Harrland recovered from a difficult birth and ensuing depression.
Karen Harrland was awarded the Finch Memoir Prize for 2014 at the recent Sydney Writers’ Festival. Hear her talk about her life in the desert on Radio National’s Life Matters program.
Spinifex Baby is published by Finch, an independent Sydney-based publisher. Finch specialises in publishing memoirs as well as books about family, health, social ecology, relationships and society.
This Competition Has Closed
Entries closed 11:59pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, Wednesday June 18th 2014. Only one entry per person was allowed. Winners will be drawn with random.org and notified via email.
