Tara June Winch (born 1983) is an Australian writer. She is the 2020 winner of the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

for her book ''

The Yield ''The Yield'' is a 2019 novel by Tara June Winch. She won the 2020 Miles Franklin Award for this book. The book also won the 2020 Voss Literary Prize and the 2020 Prime Minister's Literary Award for fiction. The novel follows the story of a you ...

''.

Biography

Tara June Winch was born in

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

, New South Wales, Australia in 1983. Her father is from the

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

nation in western

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and she grew up in the coastal area of

Woonona Woonona () is a northern suburb of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney. It is served by Woonona Station on the South Coast (Illawarra) Line, and by the Princes Highway. The suburb has a strip of commerce along the highway ...

within the Wollongong region. She often explores the two geographical places in her fiction. She is based in Australia and France. Her first novel, ''Swallow the Air'' (2006), won several Australian literary awards. The judges for ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' Best Young Novelists award wrote that the book "is distinguished by its natural grace and vivid language" and that "As with many first books it deals with issues of family, growing up and stepping into the world. But it strives to connect these experiences to broader social issues, though never in a didactic fashion". In 2008 the

Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative Rolex SA () is a British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex'' as the brand name of ...

supported her mentorship under

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

-winning author

Wole Soyinka Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...

. The critical reception for her second book, ''After the Carnage'' (2016), was positive. A review in ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' stated that "Winch can pack a punch and break your heart within a few pages" and that "The personal-is-political worldview flexes Winch's considerable literary muscle". Her 2019 novel ''

'' won seven national Australian literary awards in 2020, including the

Prime Minister's Literary Award The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

Awards and nominations

*2003: State Library of Queensland Young Writers Award, Runner up and Maureen Donahoe Encouragement award *2004: Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, David Unaipon Award for unpublished Indigenous writers *2006:

Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing The Victorian Premier's Prize for Indigenous Writing is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of cont ...

*2007: Dobbie Award *2007: New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, UTS Award for New Writing *2007: ''

'', Best Young Australian Novelists Award *2007:

Queensland Premier's Literary Awards The Queensland Premier's Literary Awards were an Australian suite of literary awards inaugurated in 1999 and disestablished in 2012. It was one of the most generous suites of literary awards within Australia, with $225,000 in prize money across ...

: ShortlistedMoran, Jennifer (2008) "Indigenous writer makes shortlist for coveted prize", ''The Canberra Times'', 2008-04-11, p. 5 *2007: ''The Age'' Book of the Year: Shortlisted *2008: Literature Recipient of the

was her mentor for this event. *2008: nominated for the Deadly Sounds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Entertainment and Community Awards – Outstanding Achievement in Literature. *2016:

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

– "Highly commended" *2017:

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

Christina Stead Prize for Fiction – Shortlisted *2017:

Queensland Literary Awards The Queensland Literary Awards is an awards program established in 2012 by the Queensland literary community, funded by sponsors and administered by the State Library of Queensland. Like the former Queensland Premier's Literary Awards, the QLAs ...

Short Story Collection – Shortlisted *2020:

Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction The Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction, formerly known as the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, is a prize category in the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award. As of 2011 it has an remuneration of 25,000. The winner of this category prize vi ...

– Shortlisted for ''The Yield'' *2020:

Stella Prize The Stella Prize is an Australian annual literary award established in 2013 for writing by Australian women in all genres, worth $50,000. It was originally proposed by Australian women writers and publishers in 2011, modelled on the UK's Baileys W ...

– Shortlisted for ''The Yield'' *2020:

Book of the Year, Christina Stead Prize for Fiction and People's Choice Award for ''The Yield'' *2020:

– Won for ''The Yield'' *2020:

, Fiction Book Award – Shortlisted for ''The Yield'' *2020:

Voss Literary Prize The Voss Literary Prize is an annual award named in honour of historian Vivian Robert de Vaux Voss (1930–1963). It is awarded to the best novel published in the previous year and is managed and judged by the Australian University Heads of Engli ...

– Won for ''The Yield'' *2020:

Prime Minister's Literary Award The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia, announced during Adelaide Writers' Week, as part of the Adelaide Festival. The awards i ...

Fiction Award – Shortlisted for ''The Yield''

Bibliography

Books

* * *

Anthologies

* * * * *

Essays and reporting

* * * * * * *

Film

* ''Carriberrie'' (screenwriter) Winch, Tara June (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winch, Tara June 1983 births Living people 20th-century Australian short story writers 20th-century Australian women writers Australian people of English descent Australian women novelists Australian women short story writers Indigenous Australian writers Miles Franklin Award winners People from Wollongong Wiradjuri people Writers from New South Wales Australian expatriates in France