Cirrus@Austlit

'The Young Writers Award is a writing competition by State Library of Queensland for young Queensland residents. The Award has been running for over 20 years, and has profiled many young writers who have gone onto achieve literary success. The aim of the program is to encourage and profile emerging Queensland authors. Previously entries had been accepted from writers between the ages of 18 and 25, and in 2015 a new category was added for writers aged 15 – 17.' (Website summary)

Swallow the Air follows the life of 15-year-old May Gibson, an Aboriginal girl from New South Wales whose mother commits suicide. May and her brother go to live with their aunt, but eventually May travels further afield, first to Redfern's Block in Sydney, then to the Northern Territory, and finally into central New South Wales. She travels to escape, but also in pursuit of a sense of her own history, family, and identity.