Cirrus@Austlit

'Empty Sky, which draws its title from Sylvia Plath’s ‘I talk to God but the sky is empty’, features the top emerging writers from UTS’ creative writing program and showcases a range of extraordinary works. This edition is introduced by writer, editor and activist Bri Lee, the award-winning author of Eggshell Skull.

'Our world is tumultuous – from political upheaval to environmental decay, the Earth is in the process of shifting and reforming in every possible way. Technology surrounds us, encroaching. Society both evolves and regresses. It can seem as if everything is on fire.

'In one way or another, struggle stains human lives. These pieces depict precisely that. There is fantastic struggle against the self and the world and whoever is listening, and in this way, these works cry out to be read. They show that human lives are full: full of fighting and grief, full of compassion and joy.

'The 34th UTS Writers’ Anthology: the 2020 collection of some of the best new writing – previously unpublished – from a student body with an incredible voice.' (Publication summary)

'Welcome to this special anniversary edition of the UTS Writers’ Anthology, showcasing writers from four decades of its prestigious Creative Writing program, one of the oldest in Australia. Introduced by Miles Franklin Award winner, Melissa Lucashenko, this treasury of prose, poetry, scripts and non-fiction affords glimpses of the shifting social and political landscape, and evolving literary trends.

'Since its first edition, Pink Cakes (1982), the Anthology has fostered some of Australia’s finest new writing.  This collection features some of the earliest work of its best-loved writers and emerging voices—Beth Yahp, Alison Whittaker, Toby Fitch, Gillian Mears, MTC Cronin, sydney khoo, Verity Borthwick and Sam Twyford-Moore among many shining stars.' (Publication summary)