John Knowles is professional storyteller, writer, comedian and corporate trainer. He can be heard regularly on ABC 702 Afternoons with James Valentine performing his storytelling show, I Can Top That!. John hosts Bespoken Word, a monthly storytelling night at Petersham Bowling Club, and performs at professional storytelling events around Australia. He recently featured on a […]

Michelle de Kretser is the author of Questions of Travel, which won the 2013 Miles Franklin Award, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, and the Western Australian Premier’s Prize and Award for Fiction. Her other books include The Rose Grower, The Hamilton Case, which won the Commonwealth Prize (SE Asia and Pacific region) and […]

Some great businesses have started in home garages: think Disney, Amazon and Google. Pantera Press sprung to life around the story-loving Green family’s kitchen table from a passion to publish great Australian stories that readers across the world would rave about. Founded in 2008, we continue to grow rapidly. A social purpose business created to champion writing culture, […]

Marianne de Pierres is the author of the popular Parrish Plessis trilogy and the award-winning Sentients of Orion and Peacemaker series. The Parrish Plessis series has been translated into ten languages and adapted into a role-playing game. Marianne has also authored children’s and young adult stories, notably the Night Creatures trilogy, a dark fantasy series for teens. She is an active supporter of genre fiction and has mentored […]

Carol Major has been a professional writer for over 30 years. She holds master and doctorate degrees in creative writing from the University of Technology, Sydney, where she has taught at graduate and postgraduate levels.  Carol was among the founding editors of Connexions, a trailblazing journal on social issues and health. Her short stories and […]

Vanessa Berry is a writer who lives and works on Gadigal land. She is the author of books including Gentle and Fierce and the award-winning Mirror Sydney, an essay and hand-drawn map collection which examines urban environments, change, and marginal and overlooked places. Her new book Calendar, a collection of 365 essays on objects, will […]

Sarah Barrie is an Australian author writing suspense in rural settings. Her bestselling print novel, Secrets of Whitewater Creek, earned her a spot as one of the Top 10 breakthrough authors of 2014, and her next three books, the Hunters Ridge series, also reached bestseller status.

Diane Armstrong’s articles, non-fiction books and historical novels have won national and international awards. Her books have been on bestseller lists and have been translated into several languages. She has taught Creative Writing at East Sydney TAFE and at Long Bay Jail. Her most recent historical novel is The Collaborator, set in Budapest in 1944.

Alison Dance is an avid reader of historical fiction, fantasy and romance. Alison’s background is media and journalism with an interest in regional, agricultural and women’s affairs. While audio books are handy for long drives and e-books are compact, you’ll find her bookshelf full. You can find her on Twitter @alisonjdance and Instagram @alisonjustdance