Mary Rokonadravu

Mary Rokonadravu is a story writer from Fiji. She was the first Fijian to win the Pacific regional Commonwealth Short Story Prize twice in 2015 and 2022.

Mary Rokonadravu
NationalityFijian
OccupationStory writer
Notable work
Famished Eels (short story)
  • The Nightwatch (short story)
AwardsCommonwealth Short Story Prize (2015) & (2022)

Career

Rokonadravu was the first Fijian to win the Pacific regional Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her short story "Famished Eels" in 2015.[1][2][3] She was also shortlisted for the same award in 2017.[4][5]

She has directed a prison writing programme at Suva's seven correctional facilities for four years and in 2008, she published shedding Silences, the Pacific's first anthology of prison writing.[6] In 2017, Rokonadravu launched a writing competition under the banner of the Fiji Media Watch Group.[7][8]

Rokonadravu was again awarded with the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her story The Nightwatch in 2022.[9]

Awards
Year Title Work Result Presented by Ref.
2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Famished Eels Won Commonwealth Foundation [1][9]
2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize The Big, Insignificant History of Peter Abraham Stanhope Nominated Commonwealth Foundation [9][10]
2022 Commonwealth Short Story Prize The Nightwatch Won Commonwealth Foundation [9][11]

Books
  • Famished Eels — A short story narrating inter-family and regional relations.
  • Sepia[12]

See also

References
  1. Flood, Alison (April 28, 2015). "First-time Fijian author scoops award in Commonwealth short story competition". The Guardian.
  2. "FOCUS: Mary's Famished Eels Story Tops Region". Fiji Sun. April 30, 2015.
  3. Stolz, Ellen (June 26, 2015). "Local wins writers award". FBC News.
  4. Mere, Satakala (April 8, 2017). "Mary – A Fiction Writer Inspired By Real Life". Fiji Sun.
  5. "Shortlist Announced: 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize". The Bahamas Weekly. April 4, 2017.
  6. "Call for Fiji's prison rehabilitation program to engage better with community". ABC Radio Australia. July 20, 2020.
  7. Satakala, Mere (May 6, 2017). "Writing Competition For Press Freedom Day". Fiji Sun.
  8. "Writing competition for Media Day". The Fiji Times. May 3, 2017.
  9. "Fijian writer Rokonadravu wins Commonwealth Short Story Prize Pacific category". Books+Publishing. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  10. Obi-Young, Otosirieze (April 4, 2017). "The 2017 Commonwealth Short Story Prize Shortlist Announced". brittle paper.
  11. Tadulala, Koroi (May 23, 2022). "Renowned Fijian author wins Short Story Prize". FBC News.
  12. Morris, Paula (July 27, 2017). "Book of the week: an essay by Paula Morris on race and literature". The Spin Off.
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