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Holden Sheppard

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Holden Sheppard
Born
Geraldton, Western Australia[1]
Alma materEdith Cowan University
OccupationAuthor
Years active2017–present
Known forInvisible Boys[2][3]
Spouse
Raphael Farmer
​
(m. 2019)​
[4][5]
Websitehttps://www.holdensheppard.com/

Holden Sheppard (born June 26, 1988) is a multi award-winning author from Geraldton, Western Australia. His debut young adult (YA) novel, Invisible Boys, won multiple accolades including the 2018 T.A.G. Hungerford Award and the 2019 Western Australian Premier's Book Award. His writing often focuses on themes of masculinity, sexuality and mental health.[6]

Early life

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Sheppard was born in the country town of Geraldton in Western Australia.[7] At the age of 18, he moved to Perth and studied a bachelors of English literature at Edith Cowan University.

Career

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Sheppard's debut YA novel, Invisible Boys, follows three gay teenage boys rural Western Australia after one of them is outed. It was published by Fremantle Press in 2019 after Sheppard won the T.A.G. Hungerford Award in 2018 and received a cash prize and publishing contract. In 2019, he won the Western Australian Premier's Book Award for an Emerging Writer and received $15,000 in prize money.[8] The following year, the book was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and was named a Notable Book by the Children's Book Council of Australia.[9] It is currently in development as a 10-episode TV series as part of a Screenwest and Stan development initiative.[10]

His second book, YA thriller The Brink, was published by Text Publishing in 2022 and won the 2023 Indie Book Awards Young adult prize.[11] The book follows a group of school leavers on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia, where they discover a dead body.[12]

Sheppard's writing has been published in several literary magazines including Griffith Review, Westerly, page seventeen and Indigo Journal.[13] His work has also appeared in anthologies Bright Lights, No City (2018),[13] Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales (2021)[14] and Growing Up in Country Australia (2022).[15]

Personal life

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Sheppard is openly gay and is married to husband Raphael Farmer.[16] He is also a part-time labourer.[17][18]

Bibliography

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Year Title Notes
2017 The Scroll of Isidor Debut[19]
2017 A Man
2017 The Black Flower
2018 Poster Boy[20] Novella
2019 Invisible Boys Award-winning book[21][22][23]
2019 Bright Lights, No City [24]
2022 The Brink [25][26]

Television

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Year Show Role Channel Language Notes
2022 You Can't Ask That Guest ABC English [27][28]

Accolades

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Year Award Result Ref.
2017 Ray Koppe Residency Award Won [29][30]
2018 T.A.G. Hungerford Award Won
2019 Kathleen Mitchell Award Won
2019 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Won
2020 Readings Young Adult Book Prize Nominated
2020 Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book Nominated
2020 Indie Book Award Nominated
2020 Victorian Premier's Literary Award Nominated
2023 Indie Book Award – Young adult Won [31]
2023 Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature (New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards) Shortlisted [32]
2024 Ena Noël Award Shortlisted [33]

References

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  1. ^ "Geraldton-born, award-winning author Holden Sheppard on exploring freedom in second novel". www.geraldtonguardian.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Invisible Boys author Holden Sheppard has sold the film and television rights to his debut novel". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  3. ^ "Holden Sheppard: Invisible Boys author says he's not a role model". www.geraldtonguardian.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Holden Sheppard". centreforstories.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. ^ "I tried to convert myself from gay to straight. It doesn't work". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. ^ Burge, Michael (2022-07-03). "Backwards to Bourke: Bulldust about Gays in the Bush". Journal of Australian Studies. 46 (3): 307–320. doi:10.1080/14443058.2022.2077405. ISSN 1444-3058. S2CID 249717745.
  7. ^ "5 Questions with Holden Sheppard". margaretriverpress.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  8. ^ "2019 Winners". State Library of Western Australia. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  9. ^ "Holden Sheppard". Writing WA. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  10. ^ "The television series 'Invisible Boys' receives more development funding". OUTInPerth | LGBTQIA+ News and Culture. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  11. ^ "'Runt' wins 2023 Indie Book of the Year". Books+Publishing. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  12. ^ Perse, Elena (2022-09-05). "Book review: The Brink, Holden Sheppard". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  13. ^ a b "Holden Sheppard". Centre for Stories. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  14. ^ "Wakefield Press :: Children's and Teenage :: Hometown Haunts". www.wakefieldpress.com.au. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  15. ^ "Growing Up In Country Australia". Reading Australia. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  16. ^ "Growing up gay in Geraldton: how Holden Sheppard lived to tell the tale". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Local authors battle for lucrative T.A.G. Hungerford Award". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  18. ^ "Holden Sheppard: Pushed to the Limits". www.wheelercentre.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  19. ^ "Novel gives voice to being young and gay in rural WA". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  20. ^ "All Being Equal". Griffith Review. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  21. ^ "After the critical and commercial success of Invisible Boys (Fremantle Press), our favourite WA author Holden Sheppard is back with a timely exploration of dangerous youth in his new novel, The Brink". happymag.tv. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Holden Sheppard's "Invisible Boys" a Young Adult success". www.starobserver.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  23. ^ "'Invisible Boys' selected as successful recipient of Stan and Screenwest Development Initiative". www.screenwest.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  24. ^ "Local author Holden Sheppard signs two-book deal with Text Publishing". www.outinperth.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  25. ^ "Out Gay Australian Author Holden Sheppard Talks About Life On 'The Brink'". www.starobserver.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  26. ^ "Holden Sheppard drops trailer for new book The Brink". qnews.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  27. ^ "You Can't Ask That return sees WA author Holden Sheppard dish on what it's like to be a bogan". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  28. ^ "Holden Sheppard on You Can't Ask That, 'Bogans'". qnews.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Holden Sheppard Accolades". fremantlepress.com.au. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Meet Author Holden Sheppard at Crow Books Q&A event". www.outinperth.com. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  31. ^ "Indie Book Awards 2023 shortlist announced". Books+Publishing. 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  32. ^ "The Brink". State Library of NSW. 2023-02-03. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  33. ^ "Ena Noël Award 2024 shortlists announced". Books+Publishing. 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-13.
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