Dr Theodore Ell, Honorary Lecturer in Literature with the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, has been shortlisted for the 2025 ACT Book of the Year, with his memoir Lebanon Days (Atlantic Books Australia). 

One of four nominations for the $10,000 prize, Theo's memoir unravels the emotional struggles of a nation the world has long overlooked. Through the eyes of an outsider, his story takes a deep dive into the intimate details of Lebanon's hardships, providing a profound understanding of its people and their journey.

"The book was almost entirely written in my room in the A. D. Hope Building and the work was sustained and enriched by many conversations and encounters, all of which I owe to being included in the mix of ideas and interests that exists in SLLL, CEMS and CASS. "

The winning book will be announced at an event on 24 October 2025 at the Canberra Writers Festival.