UWA Publishing

13/11/2025

"I used his diaries to see where he went in Western Australia and the newspaper articles to see where he went in the east. I used them to work out a bit more detail and to work out where some of the photos were taken. What impressed me about his diaries was how much knowledge he had more than 100 years ago about the landscape history of particular features of the Australian flora, ones that he noticed immediately as being different."

'Plant Collecting in Another Planet' by Margaret Grose uncovers Harvard plant collector Ernest Wilson’s largely unknown collecting trip to Australia in 1920-21. In this interview, Margaret discusses with UWAP intern Jess Burns the origins of the book, the research process that took her from Harvard University all the way to Kalgoorlie and elsewhere, and the reason why Australian flora is so otherworldly. Read now on the UWA Publishing website: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/blogs/marginalia/margaret-grose-on-plant-collecting-in-another-planet-and-revealing-the-forgotten-findings-of-plant-collector-ernest-wilson

11/11/2025

BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL: Radical Ideas for Cities by Julian Bolleter

When planning thinking collapses into prescriptive dogma, it becomes challenging to imagine alternatives to business as usual and possible innovations wither on the vine. Our reaction to out-of-control climate change, mass species extinction and the fracturing of a once egalitarian society is that we build new suburbs like before, just tighter and meaner. This hostile fabric is stranded in the gulf between being leafy and suburban and truly urban and lively. Instead, it is neither and, as such, it is the worst of all worlds.

Is that the best we can offer?

What about new urban dreams, not a hatchet job on the existing dream?

That’s where this book steps in. This irreverent, easily digestible and highly visual book trawls through the archives for long-forgotten, sometimes dangerous, ideas and draws upon unfashionable or emerging theories and techniques for innovation to pe*****te beyond business-as-usual approaches. Rather than a weighty tome beyond our ever-constricting attention spans, this cheerful and consumable field guide to alternative urbanisms is for informed laypeople, planners, designers, policymakers and politicians alike. It opens a conversation through a series of hand-drawn diagrams of alternative ways of dwelling in Australian cities, which have applications in sprawling cities worldwide. These diagrams have already been trialled on social media, eliciting a storm of noisy commentary. This unique book will appeal to the many frustrated people constricted by or excluded from business-as-usual approaches to urban development.

OUT DEC 2025

Pre-order now from your favourite local bookstore or UWA Publishing: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/products/business-as-unusual

Cover design by Melinda Penn.

04/11/2025

Congratulations to Christine Groom on being awarded the Whitley Highly Commended Award for 'Creating Black Cockatoo Friendly Suburbs.' 👏

Awarded annually, the Whitley Awards recognise the best publications that profile the unique wildlife of the Australasian region. These awards are named after Gilbert Whitley, the fish Curator at the Australian Museum for many years (1926-1964).

ABOUT THE BOOK
Carnaby’s cockatoos are a part of the fabric of Perth. Their loud calls, messy feeding habits and endearing personalities make them easily recognisable to anyone living or visiting the suburbs of Perth. But their numbers are declining as their habitats are lost to development and other threats. To help secure the future of Carnaby’s cockatoos our suburbs need to be better suited to their needs. Planning, landscaping and gardening with black cockatoos in mind will not only help the species but it will also create greener, cooler suburbs for everyone to enjoy. 'Creating Black Cockatoo Friendly Suburbs' provides the ‘how-to’ in a user-friendly way to bridge the gap for planners, policy makers, scientists, home gardeners and naturalists to help the survival of Carnaby’s cockatoos and enhance urban biodiversity.

Christine Groom - Author Royal Zoological Society of NSW - RZS NSW

04/11/2025

01/11/2025

SUBMISSIONS NOW OPEN

The 2026 Dorothy Hewett Award is open for submissions from 1 November 2025, 10am AWST to 30 November 2025, 5pm AWST 2025.

We are looking for unpublished manuscripts of adult fiction, poetry and narrative nonfiction by Australian writers. Submission guidelines are available on our website. This year your work is being judged by Tony Hughes-d'Aeth (chair of the UWA Publishing board), Linda Martin (co-publisher at Night Parrot Press), Samuel Bernard (literary agent at Zeitgeist Agency), and Kate Pickard (publisher of UWA Publishing). The winner of the Dorothy Hewett Award receives $10000 and a publishing contract with UWA Publishing!

SUBMIT NOW: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/pages/dorothy-hewett-award

31/10/2025

"It's an old black and white photo, and it's hanging in a few of my aunties’ houses, as well as mine. It’s of my nan sitting in front of this old tin shack, and it looks like the shot has been taken without her realising. When I was younger and saw it, it didn't really register with me too much, but then as I got older, I asked my aunties more about it, and I realised that the shack is where my dad, my aunties, my uncle and nan grew up. It was an old tin corrugated iron shack, with no electricity and no hot water. And I suppose it was only later that I realised that they were quite poor and a poor that you wouldn't really see often. "

'The Warrumbar' (2025) is the debut novel by William Byrne that follows the coming-of-age story of young Aboriginal boy Robbie Brennan and how he navigates struggles with family, identity and grief growing up in 1969 Australia. In this interview, UWAP intern Jess Burns speaks to William about the family photo inspiration behind this story and the importance of representing often-forgotten Aboriginal history and strong Aboriginal characters.

Read here: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/blogs/marginalia/william-j-byrne-on-the-warrumbar-and-the-inspiration-of-familial-history-and-representing-important-aboriginal-stories

30/10/2025

The Dorothy Hewett Award is opening on 1 November 2025 for submissions!

Submissions open via the UWA Publishing website at 10am AWST on Saturday 1 November 2025. We are looking for unpublished manuscripts of adult fiction, poetry and narrative nonfiction (we also accept cross-genre works such as verse novels and memoir) by Australian writers.

Find out more: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/pages/dorothy-hewett-award

28/10/2025

THE COCKATOO CREW is out now! 📚🖍🍎

Explore the first 2 books in the cockatoo crew series by Lora Inak and Kruti Desai!

ELIF'S ITCHY PALM
It’s Elif’s first day at Cockatoo Hill English Language School, and although she learned a little bit of English in Türkiye, she’s worried she won’t make any new friends in Australia.

But when Elif’s palm itches in class and her very special $2 coin goes missing, she discovers that the kids in her class are part of a secret ‘superhero-ish’ group called The Cockatoo Crew.

Can they help Elif find her coin? And could The Cockatoo Crew be the new friends she’s been hoping for?

SAMBU WON'T GROW
Sambu is about to turn ten, and his family is planning a big birthday celebration! He has just one wish: to grow tall and strong like his Kenyan Maasai Warrior ancestors. Then maybe his older sisters will stop calling him a baby—and he might finally stop being scared of the strange noises on the roof at night.

But when a classmate accidentally steps over him, Sambu is convinced he's been cursed to never grow tall or strong. Can his friends, The Cockatoo Crew help him lift the curse before his big day?

"A series I want to press into every young reader's hands; about a school community's cultural melting-pot, the power of friendship and curiosity, and the joy to be found in learning about other people's cultures. These funny and vibrant books will be most welcome in classrooms, libraries, and treasured as family read-alongs." Danielle Binks

24/10/2025

Announcing the inaugural Spiers Prize shortlist!

And exciting new changes to the award! Due to the enthusiastic number of submissions, and Gail Spiers’ generosity, UWA Publishing will be awarding 2 prizes this year: one to an author of middle grade fiction and one to an author of young adult fiction. Both winners will receive the original prize amount of $5000 each. From 2026 onwards, the Spiers Prize will alternate categories annually: middle grade in 2026, young adult in 2027, and so on.

Congratulations to our shortlistees 🩵

Middle Grade Shortlist
'The Magpie’s Song' by Julia Wakefield (SA)
'Mabi' by Ola Kwintowski (QLD)
'What Sand is Made Of' by Pamela Ueckerman (VIC)
'A Girl, a Boy, a Horse and a Zorse' by Rebeca Green (VIC)
'The Lost Boy of Divine' by Tracey Sloan (QLD)
'Bella’s Rock' by Verity Croker (QLD)

Young Adult Shortlist
'Bright Flickering Lights' by D. J. Blackmore (NSW)
'Two Sides and the Truth' by Kylie Hannant (SA)
'One Arabian Girl' by Maha Sidaoui (VIC)
'The Lovely Astronaut' by Natalia Hawk (QLD)
'Flying Hearts' by Rico Craig (NSW)
'The Girl, The Calico and The Soldier' by Zahina Maghrabi (WA)

Read the full announcement on the UWA Publishing website: https://uwap.uwa.edu.au/blogs/marginalia/inaugural-spiers-prize-shortlist-announced

The winners will be announced in November 2025.