Women writers dominate Miles Franklin longlist Author Romy Ash, in Melbourne yesterday, is on the Miles Franklin longlist for her debut novel Floundering. Picture: David Geraghty Source: The Australian TWO years after being pilloried as a "sausagefest," the Miles Franklin Literary Award has served up the female equivalent, with women dominating this year's longlist for the nation's most important book prize. Of the 10 novels in contention for the $60,000 award, eight are by women. Michelle de Kretser's Questions of Travel and Carrie Tiffany's Mateship with Birds have both already been shortlisted for the Stella Prize, and ML Stedman's The Light Between Oceans was this week named Indie Book of the Year by independent booksellers. The longlist announced yesterday includes four other debut novelists: Jaqueline Wright for Red Dirt Talking, Romy Ash for Floundering, Annah Faulkner for The Beloved and award-winning non-fiction writer Drusilla Modjeska for The Mountain. Broome-based Wright said she was "totally gobsmacked" at making the longlist. Being a writer is an isolated and lonely business, especially when you're a regional writer. To even be considered is a dream come true," she said. Ash, who was at work on her second novel in her Melbourne writing studio yesterday, said that having read the work of many Miles Franklin winners, "it is incredible to be considered in such company." New York-based Lily Brett completes the female contingent with Lola Bensky. The two men on the longlist are Tom Keneally, winner of a Booker Prize and two Miles Franklins, for Daughters of Mars, and four-time Miles Franklin shortlistee Brian Castro, for Street to Street. The Miles Franklin faced accusations of gender bias, amid a general critique of the underrepresentation of women in literary culture, after announcing all-male shortlists in 2009 and 2011. The Stella Prize for Australian women's literature was set up partly in response to such concerns. The Australian's chief literary critic, Geordie Williamson, said the longlist contained "many fine novels" but he expressed surprise at the omission of authors such as Christopher Koch, who has won twice before, and Majok Tulba. A shortlist will be announced on April 30 and the winner on June 19.