Kate Howarth (writer)

Last updated

Kate Howarth (born 1950, Sydney) is an Aboriginal Australian writer whose memoir Ten Hail Marys was published by the University of Queensland Press in 2010. The sequel, Settling Day, was published in 2015. [1] [2]

Contents

Life and work

Howarth was raised by her grandmother and other relatives in Darlinghurst and rural New South Wales [3] She left school at age 14, became pregnant at the age of 15, and went to the St Margaret's Home for Unwed Mothers in Sydney. [4] After giving birth, she resisted giving her son up for adoption and became one of the few women to leave the institution with her child. [5] The story of the first 17 years of her life is recounted in her memoir Ten Hail Marys, [3] which challenged evidence taken at a Parliamentary inquiry into adoption practices in N.S.W. from 1950 to 1998. Reviewers considered it "Memoir at its confronting, revealing best", [6] which has a "complicated exploration of oppression and survival that ... provokes new understanding of the impacts of institutional intrusion on women and children through the potent testimony of life writing". [7]

1977 - 1989 Kate Howarth aka Kay Norman, was a Director of Manpower Personnel. Manpower launched the first word processing training center in Sydney in 1984, which became the precursor for Manpower's IT Divisions operating across Australia.

1989 - 1992 Kate owned high end bridal wear and lingerie business, Simply Stunning, where she designed bridal gowns and evening wear.

1995 - 1999 Kate purpose built a restaurant, Aunty Flos, in Mittagong with a drive-thru gourmet take away. A sell out, if Kate didn't fall from a train in 1999, that forced the closure of the business.

2008 Kate was shortlisted for the David Uniapon Award for an unpublished manuscript.

2010 -31 March, Kate's first book 10 Hail Marys, was published and went on to win the Age Non Fiction Book 2010 and was shortlisted for the Victorian Literary Prize. 10 Hail Marys exposed what is now referred to as forces adoption practices and she was called to give evidence at the NSW State Parliament during the two-year National Senate inquiry into adoption practices.

2015 the sequel to Ten Hail Marys, Settling Day, was published. It takes up where the previous book leaves off, and follows Howarth's path from a homeless teen, through marriages and a career. [8] Reviewers found it a "compelling read[] that document[s] important contemporary struggles for human liberation", [1] and concluded, "Her voice remains, as ever, invaluable". [2] Howarth has been interviewed both within Australia and internationally about her books and the social issues they raise. [9] [10] [11]

Since publication Kate has conducted a number of memoir writing workshops, that include the Varuna Writers House in Katoomba and the South Arts in the Bega Valley.

Kate has appeared at writers' festivals across the country.

Books

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Grenville</span> Australian author

Catherine Elizabeth Grenville is an Australian author. She has published fifteen books, including fiction, non-fiction, biography, and books about the writing process. In 2001, she won the Orange Prize for The Idea of Perfection, and in 2006 she won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for The Secret River. The Secret River was also shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordie Albiston</span> Australian poet and academic (1961–2022)

Jordie Albiston was an Australian poet.

<i>The Secret River</i> 2005 novel by Kate Grenville

The Secret River is a 2005 historical novel by Kate Grenville about an early 19th-century Englishman transported to Australia for theft. The story explores what might have happened when Europeans colonised land already inhabited by Aboriginal people. The book has been compared to Thomas Keneally's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and to Peter Carey's True History of the Kelly Gang for its style and historical theme.

Tom Flood is an Australian novelist, editor, manuscript assessor, songwriter and musician. Tom Flood was born in Sydney in New South Wales, and grew up in Western Australia. He is the son of Dorothy Hewett and Les Flood. He is the brother of Joe Flood, Michael Flood, Kate Lilley and Rozanna Lilley.

Gail Jones is an Australian novelist and academic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara June Winch</span> Australian writer

Tara June Winch is an Australian writer. She is the 2020 winner of the Miles Franklin Award for her book The Yield.

Griffith Review is a quarterly publication featuring essays, reportage, memoir, fiction, poetry and artwork from established and emerging writers and artists. Each edition focuses on a contemporary theme, enabling pertinent issues to be aired and discussed in a public forum. The publication was founded in 2003. It was founded and developed by Griffith University in Australia, and was initially published by ABC Books. In 2009, Text Publishing became the Review's publishing partner and distributor. Therefore, the magazine has bases in both Brisbane and Melbourne. Julianne Schultz was the founding editor and has been publisher since 2018, when Ashley Hay was appointed editor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Morton</span> Australian author (born 1976)

Kate Morton is an Australian author. Morton has sold more than 16 million books in 42 countries, making her one of Australia's "biggest publishing exports". The author has written six novels: The House at Riverton, The Forgotten Garden, The Distant Hours, The Secret Keeper, The Lake House, and The Clockmaker's Daughter. Her seventh book, Homecoming, was published in April 2023.

Georgia Frances Elise Blain was an Australian novelist, journalist and biographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Pung</span> Australian writer, editor and lawyer

Alice Pung is an Australian writer, editor and lawyer. Her books include the memoirs Unpolished Gem (2006), Her Father's Daughter (2011) and the novel Laurinda (2014).

Kathleen Stewart is an Australian writer. She has written eight novels, and published two books of poetry. Her novel Spilt Milk was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Award, and her memoir The After Life was shortlisted for the Nita Kibble Literary Award. Her novel Men of Bad Character was published by the University of Queensland Press in June, 2010.

Kristina Olsson is an Australian writer, journalist and teacher. She is a recipient of the Barbara Jefferis Award, Queensland Literary Award, and Nita Kibble Literary Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Kent</span> Australian writer

Hannah Kent is an Australian writer, known for two novels – Burial Rites (2013) and The Good People (2016). Her third novel, Devotion, was published in 2021.

Kate Richards is an Australian writer, doctor and medical researcher. She writes and speaks about her experiences with mental illness, and is the author of two books on the subject.

Fiona Kelly McGregor is an Australian writer, performance artist and art critic whose third novel, Indelible Ink, won the 2011 The Age Book of the Year award.

Ellen van Neerven is an Aboriginal Australian writer, educator and editor. They are queer and non-binary. Their first work of fiction, Heat and Light (2013), won several awards, and in 2019 Van Neerven won the Queensland Premier's Young Publishers and Writers Award. Their second collection of poetry, Throat (2020), won three awards at the 2021 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, including Book of the Year.

Maxine Beneba Clarke is an Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent, whose work includes fiction, non-fiction and poetry. She is the author of over 14 books for children and adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Wright</span> Australian poet and critic (born 1983)

Fiona Wright is an Australian poet and critic.

Ali Cobby Eckermann is an Australian poet of Aboriginal Australian ancestry. She is a Yankunytjatjara woman born on Kaurna land in South Australia.

Jacqueline Frances Kent is an Australian journalist, biographer and non-fiction writer. She is also known as Jacquie Kent, the name she used when writing young adult fiction in the 1990s and sometimes writes as Frances Cook.

References

  1. 1 2 Kirkwood, Peter (13 June 2015). "Siemienowicz's Fallen, Howarth's Settling Days reveal their conflicts". The Australian. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Sussex, Lucy (26 April 2015). "Kate Howarth returns with Settling Day". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 Archived 12 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine Melbourne Writers Festival. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  4. ↑ Aedy, Richard. "Life Matters: Ten Hail Marys: Kate Howarth". ABC Radio National. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  5. ↑ "Black Australian Writing > Ten Hail Marys". University of Queensland Press. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  6. ↑ Wright, Clare (19 February 2016). "Read a Blak Book lately? Clare Wright on Kate Howarth's Ten Hail Marys". The Stella Prize. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  7. ↑ Archer-Lean, C (2011). "Book Review: "The Humanising of History: Kate Howarth's Ten Hail Marys"". Social Alternatives. 30 (1): 56–58. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "Gillian Dooley reviews 'Settling Day' by Kate Howarth". Australian Book Review: 377. December 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  9. ↑ "Guest, Kate Howarth". BBS Radio. Paradise, California, USA. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Kate Howarth's journey to the boardroom from a home for unwed mothers". ABC Radio: Conversations with Richard Fidler. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "Authors Frank Brennan and Kate Howarth on Constitutional recognition". SBS. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  12. ↑ "2010 Victorian Premiers Winners & Shortlists". Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.