THE JUDGING PANEL 2020
EMILY HART
Commissioning Editor, Hardie Grant Books
Emily Hart is a commissioning editor at Hardie Grant Books in Melbourne, where she works on non-fiction titles of all kinds and co-convenes the Spark Prize for narrative non-fiction.
ON ‘THE ROAD HOME’
The theme of mismatched partners and eroding relationships echoed throughout many of these stories, but in ‘The Road Home’, Skinner empowers her protagonist to write her own ending. The story takes contemporary fantasies – a romantic escape from the urban landscape, the promise of alternative healing routes – and flips them on their head. Within the limited word count, Skinner both stretches out and lingers in the narrative, showing the passing of time but also allowing vivid moments of feeling, especially in Izzy’s initial diagnosis. The sense of place is particularly evocative, with details that colour every scene.
ISABELLE YATES
Commissioning Editor, Penguin Random House Australia
Izzy Yates is a Commissioning Editor at Penguin Random House Australia. Her authors include chef Tobie Puttock and Japanese self-help guru Ken Honda.
ON ‘THE ROAD HOME’
‘The Road Home’ has many strengths, perhaps the greatest being how the author conjures up the central character of Izzy with empathy, tenderness and impressive realism. I really felt the tug of Izzy’s dilemma between her life in the country with Wilf and the healing and independence she found back in the city. But I also loved the small details that took me right into Izzy’s world: the list of chores on the shuddering fridge, the faded roses on her nightie. These show a great eye. The symbolism of Wilf’s wall, steadily climbing in height, is an effective expression of the growing divide between them. An emotive and memorable read.
DONNA DUGGAN
MiNDFOOD Lifestyle Editor
Donna Duggan was an original member of the MiNDFOOD team at the magazine’s inception in 2007. She has 28 years’ experience as a magazine writer, newspaper columnist and editor and has been judging the Short Story monthly finalists for the past three years.
ON ‘THE ROAD HOME’
I have the cherished task of reading the hundreds of short story submissions made every year, and the much harder task of deciding on the winning entry each month. What always stands out is an original storyline that keeps you engaged until the very end, a well-developed character, and that feeling that for a moment you have immersed yourself in a different reality. I love the small details in ‘The Road Home’ that makes the characters and setting so vivid, allowing you to feel Izzy’s conflict and eventual resolution.