Exactly As I Am (UQP) is on its second print run!
So happy to see these shiny award stickers for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlist and Queensland Literary Award Finalist!
Proud of my beloved book, its success, and of course, its wonderful readers. Thank you!
Absolutely incredible news!!! My beautiful book Exactly As I Am (UQP 2022) has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards!
Shout out to my fellow shortlistees in poetry: Gavin Yuan Gao, Lionel Fogarty, Sarah Holland-Batt, and Scott-Patrick Mitchell. And thank you to judges Andy Jackson, Jazz Money and Judith Beveridge.
Quote from the Judges’ comments:
‘This book is an impressive and necessary work, one which will help to break down barriers and prejudices faced by transgender people. Essentially, it is a book of love and empowerment.’
The Queer Halloween Stories Bundle returns for 2023 with over 100 projects from over 80 folks from around the globe, including work by me!
The Queer Halloween Stories Bundle is a mutual aid bundle directly benefiting queer indie developers, authors, and artists, with all sales split evenly among participants who have opted in to receive funds for their work
There are two versions of the bundle: $60 Fright Edition AND $10+ Treat Edition.
You can help fund the future of queer art by supporting these amazing creators and discovering titles you won’t find anywhere else!
(Image credit: Candy the Cyclops was originally designed by inkymaw. Main promotional art was drawn by Isla of milk+ visual, with logowork by Madi of Sad Ghost Studios.)
Todays the day! Welcome to your first queer picnic 🌈💖
Play my new Bitsy game called ‘queer picnic’, created for the Rainbow Game Jam 2023.
‘queer picnic’ was inspired by my beautiful wonderful friends at Queer Literature Book Club, and Trivia Kings, Queens and iNBetweens. 💖💖
I wrote a cheeky little Pokémon poem, (titled “I Google ‘are Pokémon edible?’ and wonder if I’m a bad person”), which has been published in Cordite, with big thanks to guest editors Bec Jessen and Zenobia Frost.
Do you think about the edibility of Pokémon too? Read on…
Want to read the whole issue of Cordite POP!? Do it!
I’m pumped to be published alongside poet faves Shastra Deo, Chloë Callistemon, Mindy Gill, Keri Glastonbury, Dan Hogan, Warsan Shire, Eloise Grills, Pascalle Burton, Alex Creece, Andrew Sutherland, Matt Hetherington, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, Kate Durbin, Ray Briggs, Rory Green, Pam Brown, Susie Walsh, Jarad Bruinstroop, Heather Taylor-Johnson, Jacqui Malins, Damen O’Brien, Sean West, Jini Maxwell, Josie/Jocelyn Deane, Lore White, and so many more fab folks!
I have a new poem in Jacaranda Journal 10.1 alongside fellow contributors Jill Jones, Gavin Yuan Gao, Madeleine Dale, Mitch Cave, Timothy Loveday, Damen O’Brien, Shaine Melrose, Svetlana Sterlin, and many more!
Congrats to the amazing Jacaranda team including Editor-In-Chief Olivia De Zilva for all their hard work in putting this issue together. It looks incredible!
Find out more about Jacaranda on their website.
I’m still in shock about this wonderful, beautiful news – I have signed a contract with Hachette Australia to publish my first picture book!!! The awesomeness this week just keeps on coming 💖
I’m so grateful for my agent Danielle Binks at Jacinta di Mase, who championed this manuscript from the beginning, and to Kate Stevens at Hachette for her enthusiasm and support in publishing this gentle children’s book about gender diversity and acceptance, for readers aged 4+
***
Current working title: All the Colours of the Rainbow.
Amazing illustrator who’ll be bringing the story to life: to be revealed!
Publication date: you’ll have to wait until 2025, but it will totally be worth it!
***
What the story is about:
Jem loves wearing yellow dresses or blue jeans. Jem feels like a girl when searching for bugs and lizards in the backyard, and like a boy when running around in fast circles.
Some adults in Jem’s life only want to see in black and white, but with Mum’s help, Jem learns people can be whoever they want to be – they can be any colour of the rainbow.
***
(Joyful photo taken at this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival.)
HUGE NEWS! ‘Exactly As I Am’ has been shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award for a Poetry Collection at this year’s Queensland Literary Awards!
Big congrats to my fellow shortlistees Michael Farrell, Lionel Fogarty, Autumn Royal, and Simon Tedeschi. And thank you so much to judges Ellen van Neerven, Pam Brown and Toby Fitch!
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 6 September 2023.
Judges’ comments:
‘Exactly As I Am is an experimental yet accessible exploration of genderqueer politics – Rae White’s fluid use of form skewers the language of conservative politics, authority, and work. Intricate connections and difficulties of identity are performed as vibrant poetry in this tough and vulnerable, joyfully nonconformist account of non-binary living. ’
Grab a copy of ‘Exactly As I Am’ on the UQP website.
I have two new poems in The Minison Project x Moss Puppy Magazine Pop-Up Pride Issue!
So proud to have my poems ‘Eating out’ and ‘She wears a trans flag’ (an Animal Crossing inspired visual poem) published alongside the works of many amazing LGBTQIA+ creatives.
I recently had the pleasure of guest editing Australian Poetry Anthology Volume 10, 2023 alongside Peter Boyle. I am so immensely proud of the poems we chose and I can’t wait for you to read them.
I’m also honoured to be continuing my work with Australian Poetry as a member of their Board of Directors. I’ve always admired AP’s strong poetic vision and I’m excited to work with them to develop and showcase what poetry can be and do in Australia.
(Cover artwork by Michelle Leber.)
Rae White 