Nine of our books appeared on the Ockham longlist announced in January, across fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and this week we are thrilled to see an outstanding novel and two dazzling first books of nonfiction on the shortlist . . .

Shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction
Delirious – Damien Wilkins

Shortlisted for the General Non-Fiction Prize
Bad Archive – Flora Feltham
The Chthonic Cycle – Una Cruickshank

All three of these books are exceptional in different ways. 'I think this is a great book – Great with a capital G,' Elizabeth Knox said at the launch of Delirious last year. The Chthonic Cycle has been called 'astonishing', 'irresistibly humbling', and 'a beautiful, invigorating book'. Bad Archive has received similarly rapturous reviews – 'a beautifully intricate tapestry of personal memory', and 'full of gorgeous sentences and casually brilliant ideas'. Having two essay collections – and first books! – on the shortlist is cause for celebration in itself.

We also want to celebrate all of the books we published last year. The whittling down to a slender shortlist is always tough, and every year wonderful books miss out.

All three of our shortlisted authors are graduates of or professors at (!) the International Institute of Modern Letters, a vital part of Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s investment in creative arts in Aotearoa.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday 14 May as part of the Auckland Writers Festival Waituhi o Tāmaki. The ceremony is open to everyone, so keep an eye out for tickets from the festival website. The programme goes live in mid March 2025.