Audience: Teachers

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.

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.

Robyn Bavati

Author

Robyn Bavati lived much of her adult life in Israel, and her published work includes an award-winning short story as well as articles and humorous anecdotes for both Israeli and Australian newspapers and magazines. Dancing in the Dark is her first novel.

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.

Sherryl Clark

Author

Sherryl Clark writes stories for all ages – from picture books to verse novels and novels for middle/older readers. She loves inventing characters and doing research, and then weaving the amazing things she discovers into all kinds of stories.

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.

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

Phil Kettle

Author

Phil is an award winning author of over 150 books. Phil is a much sought after school speaker.

Doug MacLeod

Author

Doug MacLeod had his first book published at the age of sixteen, which earned him a fan letter from British comedian John Cleese. After graduating from the writing course at The Victorian College of Arts, Doug became head writer of the hit show The Comedy Company, and continued working full-time in TV for fourteen years, before leaving to write novels for young adults.

Doug MacLeod will take expressions of interest from schools in South Australia in May 2012

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.

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.

Glenda Millard

Author

Glenda Millard writes picture books, novels for younger readers and for young adults. Her books have been published in Australia and internationally and have won many accolades.

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.

James Phelan

Author

James Phelan was born in 1979 and lives in Melbourne. He studied and worked in architecture, before turning to English literature. He graduated with a Master of Arts in writing, which he used to waste five good years at a newspaper. He first non-fiction book was published at age twenty-five and he has been a full-time novelist since 2006, and currently divides his time between writing the Lachlan Fox thriller series, and the Alone post-apocalyptic trilogy for Young Adults.

James will be available for Melbourne schools and libraries in Book Week (20-24 August) exclusively through Booked Out. For information on other available dates, contact the agents at Booked Out.

Michael Pryor

Author

Best-selling author Michael Pryor has published more than twenty books and fifty short stories. He is one of Australia’s leading fantasy writers. Michael has been shortlisted six times for the Aurealis Awards (including for BLAZE OF GLORY and HEART OF GOLD), has been nominated for a Ditmar award, and five of his books have been CBCA Notable Books, including WORD OF HONOUR.

Ian Trevaskis

Author

Ian writes picture story books, novels for older readers and young adult novels as well as dabbling in some freelance journalism. He was, until recently a primary school teacher, but after 40 years in front of a chalkboard he finally decided writing is heaps more fun and so much quieter.

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.

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.