Queer Author Chuckie Raven Wins Prestigious Literary Prize for Debut Novel

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 LGBTQIA+ youth and the importance of intergenerational connection.

Awarded at a ceremony in the Government House Ballroom in Perth, Raven’s 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’s hospital.

Chuckie Raven describes Glimmers in the Sea Glass as “a story about family, both chosen and inherited,” and an exploration of “the strength of young queer people and the importance of our queer elders and our community.”

Speaking after their win, Raven said, “It feels like the world of writing has opened up to me… I’m really excited about the possibility of bringing another queer West Australian story to the world.”

Raven (they/them), who lives in Nollamara, is well-known within Perth’s LGBTQIA+ community as the founder of the Perth Pride Shed, the city’s first LGBTQIA+ 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 “a talented writer with a passion for sharing the kinds of stories they wish they’d had when growing up,” noting the positive impact of their advocacy work.

Fremantle Press CEO Alex Allan added, “The 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.”

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