Curtin University’s Ruth McIver wins writing prize

Curtin University PhD student Ruth McIver has won the 2018 $10,000 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers.

Ruth McIver, winner of the 2018 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: Writers’ prize, AIB’s new appointments

New emerging writer honoured

Curtin University PhD student Ruth McIver has won the 2018 $10,000 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers for a novel she wrote as part of her thesis in creative writing. The judges of the award described Ms McIver’s novel as “a dark and unforgettable literary noir” that showed “an emerging writer of considerable literary talent”.

Her novel, I Shot the Devil, is a crime story set in Long Island New York which is loosely based on a murder Ms McIver knew about as a child in the US. She said the prize, which also includes a 12 month memtorship with publishers Hachette Australia, would give her much needed support to help her follow her dream of being a writer.

“I am humbled to have been selected from such a talented group of emerging writers and I’m excited by the challenge to reinvent myself as a writer with my next novel,” Ms McIver said. “I would also like to acknowledge my supervisors for their encouragement, confidence and advice.”

Ms McIver is completing her PhD at Curtin University under the supervision of David Whish-Wilson and Susan Bradley Smith from the School of Media, Creative Arts and Social Inquiry. The Richell Prize is named in memory of Hachette Australia’s former CEO, Matt Richell, who died suddenly in July 2014.

Top appointees

Adelaide-based online higher education provider the Australian Institute of Business has appointed Ingrid Day as its new academic dean and Jo Thomas as its new chief operating officer. Professor Day has joined from the University of Adelaide where she was the executive director of teaching, learning and student experience in the Faculty of the Professions. Ms Thomas comes from a business background, including leadership roles at iSelect and Compare The Market.

AIB chief executive Paul Wappett said that he and Professor Day would “work together to ensure that every course, subject and learning activity that we offer to students is engaging, practical and relevant to the workplace”.