Audience: Senior Secondary

Steven Amsterdam

Author

Steven Amsterdam has been writing for decades, producing everything from speeches for the Tokyo Auto Show to little artsy dance reviews in free weeklies. His most recent book, What the Family Needed (Sleepers, 11/2011) was a chosen as a Great Read by Women’s Weekly. Already the book has been called “exhilarating” by The Australian and “strange and marvellous territory” by The Monthly. His first book, Things We Didn’t See Coming won The Age Book of the Year, was longlisted for The Guardian First Book Award, and has been printed to acclaim in the US and the UK this year, with French and Dutch editions. It has been selected for the VCE reading list for 2011 and 2012. He works as a palliative care nurse on some days and works on his next book on other days.

Max Barry

Author

Max Barry is an Australian who pretended to sell high-end computer systems for Hewlett-Packard while secretly writing his first novel, Syrup. In fact, he still has the laptop he wrote it on because HP forgot to ask for it back, but keep that to yourself. He went on to publish Jennifer Government and Company. His fourth book, Machine Man, is due in 2011 and is based on a real-time interactive serial Max wrote and delivered online one page per day.

Catherine Bateson

Author

Catherine Bateson has won the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers twice and received three Honour Book Awards, including one for Older Readers. She teaches in the Professional Writing and Editing course at TAFE but is also available for school visits, to talk about both fiction writing and poetry.

Tony Birch

Author

Tony Birch is a writer of short fiction, novels and essays. He is also an educator and teacher of writing and history.

Kathy Charles

Author

Kathy Charles is the author of the novel Hollywood Ending, a startling and timely tale of teenagers obsessed with dead celebrities.

Tom Cho

Author

Sean Condon

Author

Cath Crowley

Author

Cath Crowley is the author of the Gracie Faltrain trilogy, Chasing Charlie Duskin, Graffiti Moon and Rosie Staples’ Minor Magical Misunderstanding.

Garry Disher

Author

Garry Disher is one of Australia’s best-known authors. He’s written over forty books: crime thrillers, children’s/YA fiction, literary novels, and writers’ handbooks, many of which have won awards and are popular in Europe and the USA.

Daniel Ducrou

Author

Daniel Ducrou’s first novel, The Byron Journals (Text Publishing, 2010), tells the story of an eighteen-year-old classical musician from Adelaide who goes off the rails on a schoolies trip to Byron Bay.

Jane Godwin

Author

Jane Godwin is the Publisher, Books for Children and Young Adults, at Penguin Books Australia. She is also a highly acclaimed author of many books for children.

Leanne Hall

Author

Leanne Hall is an author of young adult fiction, and a children’s specialist at an independent bookstore. Her first novel, This Is Shyness, won the Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing in 2009.

Leanne will take expressions of interest for residencies with schools in Western Australia and other states in 2012.

Rosalie Ham

Author

Rosalie Ham completed a Bachelor of Education majoring in Drama and Literature, then went on to complete a Master of Arts, Creative Writing at RMIT in 2007, simultaneously completing two best selling novels.

John Harms

Author

Karen Healey

Author

Karen Healey is a young adult author of contemporary fantasy and science fiction for tomorrow’s heroines. A New Zealander living in Australia, she’s a fan of baking, feminism, and World of Warcraft.

Robert Hillman

Author

Robert Hillman has published more than sixty works of fiction and non-fiction. His books feature in school libraries all over Australia and his autobiography, The Boy in the Green Suit, won the 2005 Australian National Biography Award. His publications cover sports, Australian history, nation building, Young Australian achievers, and the plight of refugees and asylum seekers

Toni Jordan

Author

Toni Jordan’s debut novel, the international best-seller Addition, was published in 2008 and shortlisted for both the Barbara Jefferis award and the ABIA best general fiction book, longlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and won best debut fiction in the 2008 Indie awards. Addition was published in 16 countries and has been optioned for film. Her second novel, Fall Girl, was published in November 2010 in Australia and will be published in 2011 in the UK, Germany, France and Taiwan.

Cate Kennedy

Author

Cate Kennedy writes across most genres – fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Her short stories and essays regularly appear in magazines and literary journals. She is one of Australia’s most popular teachers of the short story form.

Sue Lawson

Author

Sue Lawson worked as a teacher and a radio announcer/producer before serious illness motivated her to devote more time to her true passion – writing.

John Marsden

Author

John Marsden is the author of titles including So Much to Tell You, Letters From the Inside, and the much celebrated Tomorrow series, adapted for film in 2010. From a childhood at a deeply conservative paramilitary school with strict standards and a culture of rugby and rowing, John developed a passion for reading, writing and education at an early age. So far has published fiction and non-fiction for children, young adults and adults and has founded the Candlebark School in Victoria.

Maureen McCarthy

Author

Maureen McCarthy is one of Australia’s best loved writer’s for Young Adults. Her novels are full of gutsy and believable characters caught at the cusp of adulthood – a time when so much is changing and being decided. Her strong storylines celebrate the complexity of contemporary life with honesty and humor.

Meme McDonald

Author

Meme has written nine books (most recently the novel Love Like Water) that have received six major literary awards. Her other writing includes the ABC online documentary, A Year On The Wing; co-writing rock musicals Riff-Raff and Xenophobia and numerous theatre productions; and co-writing a feature filmscript based on the bestselling book – My Girragundji – written in collaboration with Boori Monty Pryor. She recently wrote and directed the short film Warrima – Shake-a-Leg Dance for YouthWorx Productions focusing on the importance of traditional dance for young indigenous men both from Melbourne and from Kuranda, North Queensland. Meme is experienced at engaging audiences of all ages and inspires creativity within others through her unique approach to writing workshops.

Michael McGirr

Author

Michael is a well known author, commentator and presenter. He is a familiar voice on radio. As well as writing his own books, he has reviewed over 900 books for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. He is the author of Bypass: The story of a road.

David Metzenthen

Author

David Metzenthen is a writer of Australian stories for readers aged from six to young adulthood. He has won many prizes for his work and his books have graced many shortlists.

Paddy O'Reilly

Author

Paddy O'Reilly is a multi-award winning writer of fiction and non fiction and a passionate speaker on the art of writing.

Wendy Orr

Author

Wendy Orr has spoken to groups as little as 5 and as big as 5000 people across Australia, Canada and the USA. She is known for the honesty and inspirational qualities of her sessions.

Tony Palmer

Author

Tony Palmer is a graphic designer by profession and writes part time about Australian History. His first novel, Break of Day is written with ringing clarity and real immediacy, putting his readers inside the skin of his characters.

Sue Saliba

Author

Sue Saliba is the prize-winning author of novels for Young Adults. She has taught English at secondary school, Novel Writing at RMIT and Creative Writing at Melbourne University.

John Tesarsch

Author

John is currently a solicitor, and before that was a barrister. Before that, he was a musician, and as a cellist was a part-time member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Vienna Bach Soloists and Haydn Sinfonietta. (He’s also worked as a Berlitz teacher, a warehouseman and a fertiliser salesman.) So when he came to publish his first novel, The Philanthropist with Sleepers Publishing in late 2010, it’s no wonder many reviewers described him as a Renaissance man of many talents, and rare insight. John draws on his work outside writing: he is fascinated (and he argues, due to his work in the legal profession) by the profound effect that even a momentary indiscretion can have on a person’s life.

Maria Tumarkin

Author

Maria Tumarkin is a Melbourne-based writer and a historian. She is the author of three critically acclaimed books of narrative non-fiction, which explore some of today’s most pressing issues – identity, immigration, family, moral courage and trauma.

Gabrielle Williams

Author

Gabrielle Williams has a brown-belt in karate, and once she hits black-belt status, things are gonna change dramatically around her house. Her kids will suddenly find themselves a whole lot more helpful with the housework – namely the dishes – and a whole lot less mouthy. Oh, and she writes a bit as well.

Gabrielle will take expressions of interest for residencies with schools in Western Australia and other states in 2012.

Fiona Wood

Author

Fiona Wood has been writing television scripts for the last ten years on shows ranging from MDA and The Secret Life of Us, to Home and Away and Neighbours. Her first YA novel is Six Impossible Things. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, two YAs and a bad old dog.