Archie Roach Shortlisted For Aus Literary Award

Archie Roach has made the shortlist for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

The Australian music legend is nominated in the Indigenous Writing category for Tell Me Why: The Story Of My Life And My Music, alongside Kirli Saunders, Nardi Simpson and Karen Wyld.

The annual awards, established in 1985 to “honour literary achievement by Australian writers”, features seven categories, with the winner of each receiving $25,000 and then going on to be a contender in the overall Victorian Prize for Literature, which is worth an additional $100,000, making it “the single most valuable literary award in the country”.

Roach’s work has been described as an “intimate, moving and often shocking memoir” that tells the story of an "extraordinary odyssey through love and heartbreak, family and community, survival and renewal – and the healing power of music”.

The winners will be unveiled on February 1 via a virtual event, with more details available on the Wheeler Centre’s website.

Archie Roach