Press Release

HKBU International Writers’ Workshop features Australian novelist Jessica Au

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

The International Writers’ Workshop (IWW) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will present its 2025 Distinguished Writers Series next week, featuring Ms Jessica Au, an acclaimed Australian novelist best known for her award-winning novel Cold Enough for Snow and being the winner of the inaugural Novel Prize. Ms Au will participate in a Literary Reading and Conversation with HKBU faculty, students, and the public to inspire literary creativity on 22 October. She will also share her writing insights with HKBU students at a masterclass on 23 October.

Ms Au gained global recognition with Cold Enough for Snow, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo, and New Directions. It won the inaugural Novel Prize in 2020, launched jointly by these three publishers. The work has been translated into 19 languages and garnered prestigious accolades including the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction in Australia. It was also shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award, the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards, and the Queensland Literary Awards, and longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award.

In the fall every year, the IWW’s Distinguished Writers Series honours an esteemed international writer who will give a literary reading and discuss his or her literary works with local writers and readers. IWW also runs a competitive residency programme in spring every year, with an open call for applications from potential writers-in-residence who will be featured at the IWW Literary Festival in March. Further details about the event can be found on the IWW Facebook page.

Founded in 2004, the IWW is one of the signature programmes of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at HKBU. For 20 years, IWW has hosted over 140 writers from more than 55 different countries and regions, and it is one of the few ongoing writers-in-residence programmes in Asia. As a self-funded and non-profit initiative, IWW has consistently organised free public events to promote literary and cultural exchanges between the city and the global community. Demonstrating HKBU’s commitment to the arts, IWW serves as an important platform for promoting the development of literature in Hong Kong, China. Please visit the website or Facebook page for further information about IWW activities and writers.