Felicity Castagna

Where were you born?

I was born in Sydney but I spent a lot of my younger life traveling and living in all sorts of other places. I’ve now lived in Parramatta for over twenty years.

What other jobs have you had?

I’ve always been an educator! I’m trained as a Special Needs, TESOL and English Teacher and I worked in high schools for several years before I left to do my PhD in creative writing. I now work at The Writing and Society Research Centre at Western Sydney University. I run the undergraduate creative writing program there as well as researching and publishing work about how to teach creative writing, how to foster collaboration between art forms and the social and psychological impact of creative writing programs.

What themes are recurring in your work?

I’m really interested in writing about place – how the places we live in or run away from shape who we are and what we become. I’m interested in the lives of young people and in joy and humour and in showing my readers the extraordinariness of ordinary things.

What have been the highlights of your career?

My career highlights are always about getting to work with other people, even though I’m an author and we’re meant to like hiding in corners writing books. Over my career I’ve collaborated with an incredible bunch of authors, theatre makers, artists and filmmakers. My latest collaboration was an epic work called Encounter, in which I wrote a script for a work featuring dancers and an orchestra and lowered cars on The Sydney Opera House steps.

Where have your works been published?

Most of my books are published in Australia, as well as the US and UK.

What are you passionate about?

I’m really passionate about working with and mentoring young writers to be the best writers they can be. I’m also passionate about talking about books and creativity and teaching – all the things that my life centres around.

Haven’t I seen you before?

I’m frequently talking about books all over the place – sometimes on the radio, sometimes on TV or at a festival. I never stop talking about books in all sorts of places!