Sharon Kernot
A little about me and my writing...
I have an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide, a PhD from Flinders University, and a BA (Psychology) from UniSA. I've worked at TAFE, the University of South Australia, Flinders University, and, for three years, I was Writer-in-Residence for people with disabilities at Writers SA. I've conducted many workshops for writing groups, libraries and schools, and have judged poetry and short story competitions. My poems and short stories have been published widely in Australia and overseas.
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Underground Road, my debut novel, was shortlisted for the Adelaide Festival of Literature's Unpublished Manuscript Prize and later published by Wakefield Press (2012). The Art of Taxidermy was shortlisted for the Text Prize and published by Text in 2018. Since then, it has been a finalist in a number of awards, including the CBCA, the Gold Inkys, the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, and the REAL Awards. Book designer Imogen Stubbs won an ABDA Award for the beautiful cover design, which features artwork by Edith Rewa.
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My latest novel, Birdy, also published by Text (2024), was recently shortlisted for the Readings YA Prize and the CBCA Older Readers Book of the Year Awards.
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I'm currently working on a new verse novel, which recently received a grant from Arts South Australia and a Varuna Residential Fellowship.
Over the years, I've had quite a few different jobs to fund my study, writing and travel. I've worked as a compositor, a typesetter, a financial counsellor, a community worker, an editor, an access worker, a writing coach and mentor, a tutor, a mental health worker, and an editor and co-publisher of chapbooks. And for a very short time — when I ran out of money while travelling — I ironed sheets for a guest house on a Greek island.
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Apart from reading and writing, I also love birds, animals, art, and spending time in nature.
Loss, longing and the importance of landscape
Huge thanks to Joy in Books at Paperbark Words for offering me a guest spot on her blog. Please click the link below to read.
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Paperbark Words Blog Guest Author Post
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Q&A
​Some questions I've been asked about The Art of Taxidermy
​Q. Are you a taxidermist?
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A. No, I'm not a taxidermist. I could never be a taxidermist because I'm very, very squeamish.
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Q. Would you taxidermy your pet?
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A. No, probably not. Though I can appreciate the art and beauty of taxidermy, I don't think I'd be comfortable keeping a pet this way. Having said that, I do have the ashes of one my beloved dogs in an urn near my desk.
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Q. If you love animals why did you write about taxidermy?
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A. The main character, Lottie, is an animal lover. She believes in ethical taxidermy - which means she would never hunt, hurt or kill anything. Her focus is to give new life to creatures that have already passed away.
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Q. How did you come up with the idea?
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A. The idea came to me after I had a conversation with a young student I was teaching. She was a beginner taxidermist and it struck me as a very unusual thing to be interested in. The way she described it sounded so dark and macabre and I became curious and wanted to explore the topic further.
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Q. Why do you write verse novels?
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A. I love reading verse novels and have wanted to write one ever since reading Steven Herrick's, 'The Simple Gift', and Dorothy Porter's 'Monkey Mask'. Both are brilliant books. I felt it would be something that would suit my way of working, too, because I write poetry and fiction, and this way I could use both skills in one project.
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Q. Why did you choose to write The Art of Taxidermy in verse rather than just writing a regular novel?
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A. I first started exploring Lottie in a short story and when a friend read it and said she wanted to know more, I decided to try and turn it into a verse novel. The verse was somehow more impactful than regular prose and so I continued.Having read Dorothy Porter’s verse novels, I’d already noticed how well the form works with dark and difficult themes. In The Art of Taxidermy, I write about death, dying, grief and grieving — all topics that can be hard to discuss or write about directly. Verse felt like a good match. It allowed me to explore Lottie’s emotions with honesty and restraint, letting images and moments speak for themselves without the need for too much explanation.
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Q. Did you like Aunt Hilda?
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A. I do feel sorry for Aunt Hilda who genuinely wants the best for Lottie, even though her way of helping isn’t always helpful. She’s trying to guide Lottie in the only way she knows how, and while it might come across as rigid or misguided or even cruel at times, her intentions are good. Back in those days, in the 1960s, expectations of girls were very different from today.