Sara M Saleh is a human rights lawyer, community organiser, writer, and the daughter of migrants from Palestine, Egypt, and Lebanon, living on Gadigal land. Her poems and short stories have been published in English and Arabic in various national and international outlets and anthologies including Australian Poetry Journal, Cordite Poetry Review, Meanjin, Overland Journal, […]

Amy Lovat is a writer, editor and the founder of Secret Book Stuff. She has a PhD in English and Writing from the University of Newcastle and lives with her partner Laura, two dogs, a bird, and thousands of books across unceded Awabakal and Gadigal Country in NSW, Australia. Her first novel will be published […]

George Haddad is an award-winning writer and artist practising on Gadigal land whose work explores masculinities and the limitations of language in communicating truths. His novella, Populate and Perish, was the winner of the 2016 Viva La Novella competition and his short story Kátharsis was awarded the 2018 Neilma Sidney Prize. Haddad is currently a doctoral candidate and […]

Fiona Kelly McGregor is a cross-disciplinary writer, artist and critic, whose recent non-fiction collection Buried not dead was shortlisted for the VPLA. Her novel Indelible ink won Age Book of the Year and was published in French by Actes-Sud; experimental writing includes photo essay A novel idea, and the underground classic Chemical palace. Earlier books […]

Bastian Fox Phelan is a writer, musician and zine maker living in Mulubinba Newcastle on Awabakal land. Their zines, including cult classics Ladybeard and How to Be Alone, are held in collections around the world, and they have worked with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and National Young Writers’ Festival on major zine fair […]

Andrew Pippos is a Sydney writer who lectures in creative writing at the University of Technology Sydney. His writing has appeared in Meanjin, The Sydney Review of Books, Catapult and Electric Literature. His novel, Lucky’s, won The Readings Prize for Australian Fiction, and was shortlisted for the 2021 Miles Franklin award, and the Prime Minister’s […]

Gretchen Shirm is the author of a collection of short stories Having Cried Wolf, for which she named a 2011 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Australian Novelist. Her first novel Where the Light Falls, was shortlisted for the 2017 Christina Stead Prize for Fiction in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Her short stories have been […]

Shannon Curtis is a bestselling, award-winning Australian author who has worked as an administrator, dangerous goods handler, and a betting agent before writing novels. Shannon has written over fifteen novels in contemporary, romantic suspense and paranormal romance fiction. Her latest novel, Easy Target, won the Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year.

Liz Bowring is the past president of the CBCA NSW branch. As a teacher librarian in both primary and secondary schools, she was immersed in books for young people. Liz was particularly interested in the role of awards in promoting quality Australian books. She assisted in the establishment the KOALA Awards. As an author and […]