Anna Spargo-Ryan

Anna Spargo-Ryan is an Australian author, scriptwriter and editor. She has written two novels and a memoir, in addition to works of fiction and non-fiction published in Australian newspapers and literary magazines. In 2016 she was the inaugural winner of the Horne Prize for her essay The Suicide Gene.[1]

Early life and education

Anna Spargo-Ryan was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and educated at the Pembroke School, before completing her Victorian Certificate of Education at Wesley College in Melbourne.[2]

After leaving school she worked in digital marketing and web design, while raising her two children.[3]

She is a PhD candidate in creative writing at Deakin University, and has sold essays and articles written during the process to pay for the degree.[4]

Writing career

In 2016 Spargo-Ryan published her first novel, The Paper House, which was longlisted for the 2017 Australian Book Industry Awards' Matt Richell Award for new writer of the year.[5] The novel has been described as "a layered articulation of loss and grief, perception and reality."[6]

Spargo-Ryan's essay about Australian rules football, How to Love Football was published in Black, Inc's The Best Australian Essays 2016,[7] after featuring in the publisher's earlier collection From the Outer: Footy Like You've Never Heard It.[8] She also wrote the essay The Suicide Gene about her family history of mental illness, which was awarded the Horne Prize for best essay up to 3,000 words about Australian life.[1][9]

The following year she published her second novel, The Gulf, which was written in just three months.[4][10] The novel is described as "a coming-of-age story dealing with themes of domestic violence, substance abuse, financial hardship; with Spargo-Ryan tempering the harshness with humour and a relatable narrator."[11]

In 2022 Spargo-Ryan published her anticipated[12] memoir A Kind of Magic about her personal experiences with mental illness, and the intricacies of the human brain.[13] It was shortlisted for the Nonfiction Book Award at the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards.[14]

Bibliography
  • 2016 – The Paper House (ISBN 978-1743535202)
  • 2017 – The Gulf (ISBN 978-1743537176)
  • 2022 – A Kind of Magic (ISBN 978-1761150739)

Personal life

Anna Spargo-Ryan lives in Melbourne with her two children.[15][16] Her mother Kate Spargo is currently serving on the board of the Geelong Football Club.[17][18] Spargo-Ryan remains an ardent advocate for cake stalls at election voting sites in her spare time. [19]

References
  1. "The Horne Prize". The Horne Prize. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  2. "All Students, Sorted by Total Scores - VCE Study Score Archive 2000". www.quppa.net. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  3. Danaher, Carla (20 February 2007). "Motherhood issues cross generation gap On for young and old". Herald-Sun. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 15.
  4. Sullivan, Jane (2017-06-12). "Anna Spargo-Ryan: I enjoy the art of writing ...I also enjoy telling stories". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  5. "ABIA Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year longlist 2017 — Readings Books". www.readings.com.au. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  6. Wain, Debra (22 October 2019). "Inside the story: the art and genius of metaphor in Anna Spargo-Ryan's The Paper House". EveningReport.nz. Auckland: Athena Information Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
  7. Williamson, Geordie (ed.). The Best Australian Essays 2016. Carlton, Victoria. pp. 121–125. ISBN 9781863958851.
  8. Hayes, Nicole; Sometimes, Alicia, eds. (28 March 2016). From the Outer : Footy Like You've Never Heard It. Carlton, Victoria: Black, Inc. pp. 59–64. ISBN 9781863958288.
  9. Reich, Hannah (18 April 2018). "From Christina Stead to Ruth Park: the 20th century Australian writers who paved the way for contemporary women: Before Alexis Wright, Helen Garner and Anna Funder, there was Dorothy Hewett, Christina Stead, Gwen Harwood and Ruth Park - Australian women battling housework, prejudice and harassment to have a career". ABC Premium News. Sydney: Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  10. Sullivan, Jane (17 June 2017). "Anna Spargo-Ryan: BOOKS". The Age. Fairfax Digital.
  11. Varrenti, Elly (8 July 2017). "Coming of age during the tough times: BOOKS". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Digital.
  12. Williamson, Geordie (31 December 2020). "Revealed: the most anticipated book releases of 2021". The Australian (online). Nationwide News Pty Ltd. But the standout for me in July is a memoir from the talented and industrious Anna Spargo-Ryan. A Kind of Magic (Picador) is a blend of memoir and analysis that explores a generational history of depression and suicide in the author's family. Expect it to be a scarifying, wise and funny in equal measure.
  13. Cardell, Kylie. "Living with complex illness and surviving to tell about it: Anna Spargo-Ryan's chronic optimism". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  14. "Queensland Literary Awards 2023 shortlists". Books+Publishing. 2023-08-02. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  15. NRB (2022-10-17). "ANNA SPARGO-RYAN A Kind of Magic. Reviewed by Virginia Muzik". The Newtown Review of Books. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  16. "Dear year 12: you're starting a career at the end of the world – so why not follow your dreams? | Anna Spargo-Ryan". the Guardian. 2022-12-10. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  17. "Kate Spargo". Geelong Football Club. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  18. Cairns, Dave (6 August 2018). "Geelong Cats director Kate Spargo gives insight into how to assess indicators of a company's culture". Geelong Advertiser. Nationwide News Pty Ltd. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  19. "You Can Keep Your Democracy Sausage Nothing Says Election Day Like A Cake Stall". www.theguardian.com.au. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
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