Stella farewells Creative Director and Co-CEO, Jaclyn Booton
After nearly four years at the helm, Jaclyn Booton is leaving her role as Creative Director and Co-CEO of Stella. During that time, Jaclyn has spearheaded Stella as a leading voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature.
The Board thanks Jaclyn for all that has been achieved under her leadership of Stella over the past four years. Jaclyn’s deep commitment to Stella’s mission reflects her broader commitment to Australian women’s writing and to driving systemic change and gender equality through collective action. We wish Jaclyn all the best in her future professional endeavours.
Keren Murray, Chair of the Stella Board
In addition to the Prize, Jaclyn has driven a suite of year-round initiatives which actively champion Australian women and non-binary writers, tackle gender bias in the literary sector, and connect outstanding books with readers. As well as continuing the Stella Count – Australia’s only longitudinal study of gender bias in the field of book reviews – Jaclyn expanded Stella’s author residency program with a focus on providing tailored opportunities for First Nations writers, women of colour, and writers with caring responsibilities. She was also instrumental in forging new cultural and philanthropic partnerships to expand Stella’s reach and led the creation of a suite of educational programs that support teachers and teens to engage with contemporary Australian literature both in the classroom and through online workshops.
It’s been an honour to lead Stella over the last four years; this tiny-but-mighty organisation is an invaluable part of the Australian literary sector and its successes are testament to the power of collective action. I’m deeply grateful to the authors, publishers, librarians, teachers, booksellers, academics, arts workers and passionate supporters I’ve worked alongside. I leave Stella knowing it is perfectly poised to expand its work as a vocal advocate for a just, fair, and equitable literary culture. I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Jaclyn Booton, outgoing Creative Director and Co-CEO
