Aesthetica celebrates the work of writers through its , championing outstanding short fiction that demonstrates creative content and quality of form. Now in its eighth year, the Award supports writers who are longlisted for the Award and publishes their selected works in the Creative Writing Annual. We look in depth at short fiction writer Gemma Hawdon and present an extract from her selected story.
Gemma Hawdon lives in Melbourne, Australia, and writes lifestyle articles and content for magazines and websites across Australia and internationally. Seashell Washed Up In A Storm was one of the first short stories she found the courage to enter for competition, so she was thrilled to have it selected as a finalist.
Since then, she’s submitted her completed work Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure, Hiraeth to a few agents for consideration. Hawdon says “being selected as a finalist in the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award gave me confidence in my writing as well as having a notable achievement to include in my biography for cover letters.” She also writes a and has just begun writing another book.
Seashell Washed Up In A Storm
I鈥檓 not proud of the girl I was, I shed her carcass long ago. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way, when it鈥檚 too late and we鈥檙e left broken with no choice but to change, to rebuild ourselves, stronger鈥 warier… wiser.
I don鈥檛 come into the schoolyard as often as I should, my son now old enough not to care, but occasionally I鈥檓 compelled to; a mother needs to know what goes on in her child鈥檚 life. It鈥檚 stifling hot and the bell clangs as I reach the school gates, children spilling onto the tarmac like oil in a hot pan. I see my son through the crowds, school bag slung over his shoulder. He鈥檚 tossing his head back laughing, hand flung to his mouth like he鈥檚 just learned a dirty secret. The usual gang swaggers at his side; boys with lacquered hair and shirts that hang loose, girls with their skirts pulled short, chatting and laughing openly鈥 trustingly. The girls apply lip-gloss, fiddle with their hair and recover bracelets and bangles from their bags, slipping them around their soft, pale wrists.
A teacher is waving me down, tottering over in heels that clink on the tarmac. She鈥檚 smiling as though she knows me. 鈥淗i there, I鈥檓 Danny鈥檚 new English teacher.鈥
I recognize her voice, that same nasal tone. She鈥檚 an older, crotchety version of who she used to be, posture stiffened, hips widened, skin hardened by creases. My hand latches to my neck. 鈥淗i, nice to meet you.鈥
She鈥檚 studying me closely beneath her red-rimmed glasses. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 remember me do you? Mrs Lewis? I taught you at Clifton Hill.鈥
鈥淥f course鈥 Mrs Lewis. It鈥檚 been years. How are you?鈥
Her cheekbones have hollowed out, bony like a cat鈥檚. Her eyes drift slowly up my body. 鈥淵ou haven鈥檛 changed much,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hat have you been doing with yourself all these years?鈥
Out of all the schools, she had to pick this one.
鈥淚鈥檓 a receptionist鈥 at a gym.鈥
鈥淩eally?鈥 She pulls her glasses low on her nose and stares over the top, her eyes a kaleidoscope of colours. 鈥淚 always imagined you鈥檇 be a dancer.鈥 She glances towards the grass oval where Danny is pushing a girl around, laughing. The girl鈥檚 skirt is too tight, clinging to her thighs like the skin of a plum.
鈥淐an鈥檛 have been easy,鈥 she says. 鈥淩aising him so young.鈥
The sun beats down on my head. The tips of trees shake against the stark, blue sky, trapped in the blinding heat. Parents swoop in and out of the schoolyard carting their kids to lives beyond. Out on the oval, Danny piles on top of the girl and they roll around under the shade of a huge oak tree. The girl breaks free and leaps to her feet, throwing her hips about, hair long and loose. Danny is watching, sprawled out on his back.
Pick up a copy of the Annual to read the full story:
For more information on Gemma Hawdon鈥檚 work head to and .
Enter the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award at . Entry is 拢10 and permits the submission of two works into one category. Submissions close 31 August 2014.
Prizes include publication; a consultation with a fiction agency and a poetry organisation; 拢500 prize money for each category winner; a selection of books courtesy of Vintage and Bloodaxe Books, and a subscription to Granta.
Credits
1. Maren C Raaum Gyllenhammar, Life, Interrupted. Aesthetica Art Prize 2014: Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture Longlist. Courtesy of the artist and Aesthetica.
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