The Prime Minister’s Literary Award: A feather in the cap of poet Andy Jackson – and the Williamstown Literary Festival.

2023 Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize Judge (with Gayelene Carbis) Andy Jackson has won the 2022
Prime Minister’s Literary Award for poetry for his collection, Human Looking. The
announcement was made in December at a ceremony in Launceston, Tasmania.

The book, which gives a ground-breaking insight into the experience of disability from a
distinguished poet who lives with Marfan Syndrome, also won the ALS Gold Medal and was
shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

The Prime Minister’s Literary Award Judges said:

“In Human Looking Jackson shows he has a highly distinctive poetic voice, and writes with great
technical skill and variety. Starting with its ambiguous title, Jackson’s book is an extraordinary
poetic exploration of his own disability – Marfan’s syndrome, which is disfiguring and distorts
the shape of his face and body. His poems are blistering in their power, wonderfully subtle,
objective and with no self-pity.”

You can listen to Andy talk about his book on The Garret Podcast and on the Poetry
Unbound podcast.

We are fortunate to have Andy on board as part of the 2023 Williamstown Literary Festival, and
look forward to reading the poems he and Gaylene choose for the Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize
shortlist.