Koraly Dimitriadis, a Cypriot Australian poet, has won the Best Book of Narrative Poetry award at the 21st Annual Best Book Awards in Los Angeles for her poetry collection Just Give Me The Pills.
Dimitriadis learned of her award just before boarding a flight to Bali, where she was scheduled to perform at the Ubud Writers Festival. “I was really shocked to win,” she said. “I know it’s not the Miles Franklin award, but it’s nice when your poetry is recognized by the industry.”
The book, originally published in 2018, was republished in 2023 as an illustrated edition featuring drawings by her daughter. Dimitriadis expressed gratitude for the recognition from the American Book Fest, which promotes indie and self-published works and receives thousands of entries globally, according to Jeffrey Keen, the president and CEO of American Book Fest.
Dimitriadis is a self-published poet and the founder of Outside The Box Press. She gained prominence in Melbourne’s performance poetry scene over a decade ago with her debut book, Love and Fck Poems, which became a bestseller at Readings Bookstore and was distributed by Woodslane.
Just Give Me The Pills narrates the story of a Greek Australian woman who struggles in an unhappy marriage. It follows her journey from uncertainty to self-discovery and empowerment as she finds the strength to leave despite cultural pressures to stay. “Many people who have followed my journey know I married young and struggled to leave my marriage,” Dimitriadis shared. “Writing the poetry was how I liberated myself and found the strength to survive and thrive.”
Dimitriadis recently launched a short story collection titled The Mother Must Die at the Greek Cultural Centre in Melbourne and at the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Museum. She aims for Just Give Me The Pills to be the book she wished she had during her struggles. “I want to help other women understand that it’s okay to leave if you want to,” she said.
The collection includes the poem “Yiayia mou (My Grandmother),” which Dimitriadis adapted into a short film. This film was an official selection for the Multicultural Film Festival and is currently streaming on SBS On Demand in Australia. It has also been selected for various international festivals, including the Cyprus International Film Festival and the WRPN Women’s International Film Festival in the USA.
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