Much of the work being done towards gender equity in Australian literature over the past decade has been spearheaded by the Stella Prize, a literary organisation that aims to celebrate the work of Australian women. And from 2025, Quest is thrilled to be a Platinum partner of the Stella Prize, providing a three-year sponsorship of the award and its associated programs, $50,000 in cash funding annually and accommodation for authors and industry leaders. 

Part of Quest’s commitment includes celebrating and spotlighting the work of inspiring women writers, which is why we sat down recently with Stella Prize-winner Emily Bitto, author of The Strays and the Margaret and Colin Roderick Award-winning Wild Abandon.

Was writing always the plan?

I wanted to become a counselor and I realised I was going to burn out very quickly that way. So I did a masters in literary studies – I wanted to just read other people's work and write about it! I was always writing my own stuff alongside that, but it wasn’t until I wrote my first novel as part of my PhD in creative writing, and then ended up winning the Stella Prize for that, that I really developed the confidence to believe I could make a career out of it.

Which women writers inspire you?

It’s a long list. Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf, Shirley Hazzard; and also a lot of contemporary Australian writers like Helen Garner, Michelle de Kretser, Charlotte Wood and Christina Stead. They can all be characterised by a combination of writing really beautiful sentences with a real language focus, but then also, they have a keen psychological insight into human relationships and interior life. Being able to pinpoint the very subtle specifics of those human emotional states that we all feel but might not be able to describe to ourselves, let alone to others in beautiful language … I think there's something magical about that.

You’ve written about so many places, both here in Australia and abroad. Where are you itching to explore next?

I'd love to do some more of WA. I've only been to Perth for the Writers’ Festival, but I'd love to see some of that amazing coastline along our West Coast. 

What’s your favourite road trip in Australia?

Tassie has some incredible road trips, with the mountains and the coastline accessible in short proximity. My partner and I also did a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney recently, all up the South Coast. Our coastlines are just so beautiful.

Now, let’s talk accommodation. What’s the first thing you do when you get into a hotel room?

It might sound odd, but I avoid unpacking my bag! I’m quite a messy person, so when I get into a hotel or serviced apartment I really like to just soak in the beautiful cleanliness of them – and then go through all the drawers and cupboards!