‘stand up’ shortlisted for 2023 Queer Games Festival

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Oh wow! Only just found out ‘stand up’ was a shortlisted title in the 2023 Queer Games Festival awards in Naarm/Melbourne!

A huge thank you to the judges for shortlisting my game. Find out more and check out the other amazing queer games on the MQGF website.

This little game about trans joy has made it further than I ever could’ve expected. Thank you so much to everyone who’s played it and shared it. 💖🌈

From being originally published in Backslash Lit – Issue 6 – ‘ZIP / FREEZE / BUNDLE’, ‘stand up’ us gone on to win the 2022 Woollahra Digital Literary Award for Digital Innovation, been part of the Official Selection – Pride at Play 2023, supported financially by the incredible Queer Games Bundle 2022, and featured in Indiepocalypse #44.

Also, since ‘stand up’ I’ve released two more Bitsy games (‘forage. found’ and ‘queer picnic’) which you can play for free on my itch page.

Screen shot of ‘stand up’ with pink, white and blue pixelated hearts which reads ‘love you’.
Image description: Graphic image with the cover of Exactly As I Am which features the image of black and white shards surrounded by a yellow border. Beside the image is the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Australian Government and Creative Australia logos, and text that reads ‘2023 Shortlist. Poetry. Exactly As I Am. Rae White. University of Queensland Press.’ Below this is a grey footer with the text ‘Celebrating Australian Writing. creative.gov.au/pmlas.'

Exactly As I Am has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards!

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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. 

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

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.’

Image description: Graphic image with the cover of Exactly As I Am which features the image of black and white shards surrounded by a yellow border. Beside the image is the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, Australian Government and Creative Australia logos, and text that reads ‘2023 Shortlist. Poetry. Exactly As I Am. Rae White. University of Queensland Press.’ Below this is a grey footer with the text ‘Celebrating Australian Writing. creative.gov.au/pmlas.'
Colour illustrated image of a cyclops with purple long hair, wearing an orange dress and a pumpkin hair band. The cyclops is throwing candy to the viewer which is wrapped in different flag colours, like the rainbow pride flag, etc. Black text logo with a ghost-themed playful, colourful background reads, ‘Queer Halloween Stories 2023 Bundle.’ Below this, black text with a white background reads, ’83 Digital Games, 22 Physical Games, 7 Books, 3 Comics, 3 Audio Dramas. All for $10 or more!’

Queer Halloween Stories Bundle 2023

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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.)

New poem in Cordite POP!

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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 signed a new book contract!

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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+

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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!

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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.

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(Joyful photo taken at this year’s Brisbane Writers Festival.)

Image description: Dark blue sketch of a pineapple laying on its side, with dark blue text above it that reads ‘Queensland Literary Awards finalist’ on a yellow background.

‘Exactly As I Am’ shortlisted for the Qld Literary Awards!

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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.

Image description: Dark blue sketch of a pineapple laying on its side, with dark blue text above it that reads ‘Queensland Literary Awards finalist’ on a yellow background.