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The Darwin Poems , written by acclaimed poet Emily Ballou, has been shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal).

Published by UWA Publishing, The Darwin Poems encompasses an exquisite collection of poetry, capturing the life of Charles Darwin through sensitive and beautifully imagined verse.

At a time when the image of Charles Darwin is becoming carved in stone, Emily Ballou, with microscopic attention to detail, breathes a life force back into the fossil.

"This book highlights the importance of poetry within the literary sphere," UWAP Director Terri-ann White said.

The Darwin Poems also won the 2009 Wesley Michael Wright Prize for Poetry, and has been shortlisted and highly commended for a number of other poetry awards.

The ALS Gold Medal is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature, with the winner being announced in early July 2010.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Poet, screenwriter and novelist Emily Ballou was was the 1996 recipient of the Australian Film Commission's New Screenwriters Scheme for her first feature screenplay, Sadie X-Ray . In 1997, she was awarded the Judith Wright Prize for Poetry for her poem, Enter and won the 2009 Wesley Michael Wright Prize for Poetry for her collection - The Darwin Poems . She worked with Gillian Armstrong adapting Helen Hodgman's Waiting for Matindi for the screen, and wrote the short film Mittens , which was Fox Searchlight's 2004 contender for the Academy Awards. Her first novel, Father Lands , set during the desegregation of the school system in the United States, was published in 2002 and is currently being adapted into a film. Emily was named one of The Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Novelists of 2003.

Media references

Sylvia Defendi (UWA Publishing) 61 8 6488 6804 / 0417 967 415
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs) 61 8 6488 5563 / 0432 637 716