Empty Sky

Book excerpt: ‘Empty Sky’, which draws its title from Sylvia Plath’s ‘I talk to God but the sky is empty’, features the top emerging writers from UTS’ creative writing program and showcases a range of extraordinary works. This edition is honoured to be introduced by writer, editor and activist Bri Lee, the award-winning author of Eggshell Skull. The smoky sky is empty: a deficit of light and sound, devoid of sentience…or is it? Our world is tumultuous – from political upheaval to environmental decay, the Earth is in the process of shifting and reforming. Technology surrounds us, encroaching. Society both evolves and regresses. 2020 was dealt a somewhat cruel hand: fires swept through Australia and the COVID-19 pandemic permeated every aspect of our lives. In one way or another, struggle is a part of us. These pieces depict precisely that. There is fantastic struggle against the self and the world and whoever is listening, and in this way, these works cry out to be read. They show that human lives are full: full of fighting and grief, full of compassion and joy. Full to the brim. The 34th UTS Writers’ Anthology: the 2020 collection of some of the best new writing – previously unpublished – from a student body with an incredible voice. Each year the UTS Writers’ Anthology showcases the best work from one of Australia’s most prestigious writing programs. This year’s anthology includes prose, fiction, poetry and screenplays from talented emerging writers including Christine Afoa, Ruth Armstrong, Sara Borman, Sally Breen, Alex Bulahoff, Shana Chandra, Daniel Comensoli, Olivia Costa, Daniel Date, Mark Gerts, Shoshana Gottlieb, Echo He, Sydney Khoo, ZA Knowles, Sam McAlpine, Helen Meany, David Naylor, Joseph Schwarzkopf, Amy Shapiro, Jack Cameron Stanton, EM Tasker and Tanya Vavilova.