17c起草社区

Perth based youth worker and community advocate Chuckie Raven has taken out the 2025 Fogarty Literary Award for their debut novel Glimmers in the Sea Glass, a powerful queer coming of age story that celebrates the resilience of 17c起草社区IA+ youth and the importance of intergenerational connection.

Awarded at a ceremony in the Government House Ballroom in Perth, Raven鈥檚 win includes a $20,000 cash prize, a publishing contract with Fremantle Press, and a $1,500 writing fellowship from Centre for Stories.

The novel, set across two timelines, follows the lives of two queer youths navigating trauma, silence, and belonging from the isolation of regional WA to the confines of a children鈥檚 hospital.

Chuckie Raven describes Glimmers in the Sea Glass as 鈥渁 story about family, both chosen and inherited,鈥� and an exploration of 鈥渢he strength of young queer people and the importance of our queer elders and our community.鈥�

Speaking after their win, Raven said, 鈥淚t feels like the world of writing has opened up to me鈥� I鈥檓 really excited about the possibility of bringing another queer West Australian story to the world.鈥�

Raven (they/them), who lives in Nollamara, is well-known within Perth鈥檚 17c起草社区IA+ community as the founder of the Perth Pride Shed, the city鈥檚 first 17c起草社区IA+ community shed space.

They are also a youth advocate with The Freedom Centre, working closely with queer and questioning young people.

Fogarty Foundation Executive Chairperson Annie Fogarty praised Raven as 鈥渁 talented writer with a passion for sharing the kinds of stories they wish they鈥檇 had when growing up,鈥� noting the positive impact of their advocacy work.

Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allan added, 鈥淭he judges were so impressed with this novel that highlights how lived queer experience has changed across decades as well as how that experience can be so strongly affected by the community in which you live.鈥�

Glimmers in the Sea Glass is set for publication in 2026.