Everything, All At Once: Fiction and poetry from 30 of Australia’s best writers under 30
“She understood it was what people did, order their lives, so it was more interesting - until it was so interesting that it became its own little reality for the people who lived in it.”
~ Bright, Amelia Zhou
Bringing together the winners of the inaugural Ultimo Prize, Everything, All At Once (2021) celebrates emerging writers and poets under 30 from across Australia. Described as a “vibrant and essential collection,” the writing within is loosely connected across the theme of identity. It showcases the breadth and depth of concerns for young people (and all people) across our contemporary society.
Touching on gender politics, relationships and sexuality, climate change, emotional and mental health, cultural displacement and erosion, body dysmorphia, and so much more - this anthology brings to the stage the immense writing talent waiting in the wings of literary Australia.
Split into two parts - fiction and poetry - readers are taken on a journey through surrealist narratives, experimental storytelling and literary short stories. “Watch Me” by Seth Robinson is a fitting opening story for an anthology focused on identity. Charting our obsessive desire to be seen online and the performative ways many engage for likes, shares and comments, Robinson’s story explores an addiction that spans the globe:
“It’s not even about the videos, he doesn’t care what’s on the screen. It’s about the ease that comes from being outside himself, the way the stress and anxiety and the need to be something - fitter, smarter, more productive - all just wash away.”
I was blown away by some of the first published works by many of the authors. Vivien Heng’s short story, “Now Only Colour Lives,” is a heart-wrenching narrative about cultural displacement and the deeply felt loss of ancestral histories. Similar narratives are explored in the poem “White Front Doors” by Aishah Maryam David:
“And I need to go home, but I’ve only ever lived here. But someone keeps telling me that there’s someplace I should go back to. And I’m sure it’s lovely, and it could be my home. But it’s just as strange as the stranger across the car park yelling.”
Like Heng, this is her first published work, but the articulate, emotive power in both of these works speak to writers with deep wells of talent.
Overall, the collection is imbued with a sense of youthful vitality, despite some of the more serious and darker themes that emerge. “Fourteen Years and Nine Months” by Amy Duong is a well-presented exploration of the naivety of being young and how to balance of responsibility with a lack of life experience. While naivety is present in a number of the stories, its connection to youth is self-aware - these writers aren’t offering answers or opinionated decisions. They’re telling the stories of what it means to be a young person growing up in Australia and the conflicting, baffling, unwanted experiences they have to push through to uncover who they might be.
Standout favourites for me included “Bright” by Amelia Zhou, which tells of a woman living in a world where the sun never seems to set, scorching the neighbourhood and her neighbours alike as she observes from behind newly purchased black-out curtains; “New Balance” by Georgia Rose Phillips is a powerful and lyrical piece, exploring relationships and the grief that remains for lives unlived; and Gurmeet Kaur’s poem, “Testimony,” explores narratives of heritage and taking up space in a world that refuses to see you:
“Writing these notes is to prepare testimony. This is not about me. This is about you projecting on to me. There are no mango trees or mint chutney in this poem. But see here: these stones inside the spine of our photo album tether us to this home.”
But it is extremely difficult to pinpoint favourites in such an immensely polished, refreshing and provocative collection of work. I was impressed by how well the pieces complement one another and move together, with no one piece vying for more attention. They build on the foundation of the theme, each piece adding a distinct, mesmerising voice. Days after finishing, I can still recall individual stories and poems.
This is no easy feat for such an anthology, and it’s clear great care has been taken not only in selecting the works but also their editing and placement within the collection itself.
Everything, All At Once certainly lives up to its title but in a remarkable way—a must-read for anyone interested in the future of Australian literature.
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Everything, All At Once (2021) is launching on 17 Nov and is available for pre-order from Ultimo Press now.
Complete list of contributors in alphabetical order:
Cherie Baird, Alice Bellette, Aishah Maryam David, Josie/Jocelyn Deane, Zowie Douglas-Kinghorn, Amy Duong, Gavin Yuan Gao, Madeleine Gray, Vivien Heng, Natasha Hertanto, Matilda Howard, Franklyn Hudson, Gurmeet Kaur, Robert Juan Kennard, Andy Kovacic, Jennifer Nguyen, Ismene Panaretos, Georgia Rose Phillips, Jamaya Plackowski, Quanita, Seth Robinson, Shane Scriven, Charlotte Snedden, Coco Stallman, Lora Subotic, Amy Taylor, Sebastian Winter, Dženana Vucic, Cassandra-Elli Yiannacou and Amelia Zhou.
Elaine Mead is a freelance writer and book reviewer, currently residing in nipaluna (Hobart), Tasmania. She is passionate about the ways we can use literature to learn from our experiences to become more authentic versions of ourselves and obsessed with showing you photos of her Dachshund puppy. You can find her online under www.wordswithelaine.com.
