Resume

Tertiary qualifications:

1981-1983

Bachelor of Arts Degree, University of Queensland, (Double Major in Art History)

1987-1989: Bachelor of Letters, Deakin University (Major in Literary Studies)

1988-1991: Graduate Diploma (Creative Arts), University of South Australia

Other

2003: Completed a Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment, GippsTAFE.

2009: Completed the upgrade of the Certificate 1V in Training and Assessment (TAA40104) Box Hill Institute

2010:  Completed a Diploma of Vocational and Education Training, GippsTAFE

Publications

Junior & Middle Fiction

Rain May and Captain Daniel, University of Queensland Press, 2002

Book of the Year, Younger Readers, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2003

Children’s Book of the Year, Queensland Premier’s Award, 2003.

Highly Recommended, Family Therapists of Australia Association, 2003

Short listed for the Ethel Turner Award, 2003

Millie and the Night Heron, University of Queensland Press,  2005.

Honour Book, Younger Readers, Children’s Book Council of Australia,  2006.

Being Bee, University of Queensland Press, 2006

Book of the Year, Younger Readers, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2007

The Wish Pony, Woolshed Press, 2008.

Honour Book, Younger Readers, Children’s Book Council of Australia,  2008

Magenta McPhee, Woolshed Press, 2009.

Mimi and the Blue Slave, Woolshed Press, 2010

Notable Book, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2010

Hanging Out, Omnibus, 2010

Star, Ominbus, 2012

Notable Book, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2013

 

Young Adult Fiction

Verse Novels

A Dangerous Girl, University of Queensland Press, 2000

The Year It All Happened, University of Queensland Press, 2001

His Name in Fire, University of Queensland Press, 2006.

Notable Book, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2007

Shortlisted, Queensland Premier’s Award, 2006

Young Adult Prose Novels

Painted Love Letters University Queensland Press, 2002

Honour Book , Older Readers, Children’s Book Council of Australia,  2003.

Book of the Year, Family Therapists of Australia Association, 2003

Short listed – Patricia Wrightson Award, 2003

The Air Dancer of Glass, University of Queensland Press 2004

Lisette’s Paris Notebook, Allen & Unwin, 2017

My novels for young adults and younger readers have been translated into Dutch, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Persian and Slovenian. Books for younger readers have been published by Holiday House in the USA.

Anthologies

‘Love and the Cloned Girl’, Michael Hyde & Val Kent (editors), Hunger and Other Stories, AATE, 2003.

‘Whippet Blues’ & ‘How to Go Fishing’, Paul Collins (editor), Trust Me, Ford Street, 2008.

‘Learning the Tango’, Isobelle Carmody & Nan McNab (editors), The Wicked Wood, Tales from the Tower, Volume Two, Allen & Unwin, 2011.

‘Stray Dogs Cafe’, Paul Collins (ed), Rich and Rare,  Ford Street Publishing, 2015.

 

Poetry Collections

 Pomegranates from the Underworld, Pariah Press, 1990

Highly Commended in the Anne Elder Award, 1991

One of the Feminist Book Fortnight 21 Favourites, 1991.

The Vigilant Heart, University of Queensland Press, 1998

Short listed – Colin Roderick Book Award

Short listed – John Bray Poetry Award

Marriage for Beginners, John Leonard Press, 2009

 

Anthologies

Family Ties, Oxford University Press,  1997

La Mama Poetica, Melbourne University Press, 1989

Let Dark Memory Bloom, Coal River Press,1995

New Music, Five Islands Press, 2001

The Blue Umbrella, Round Table Press,  1990

The Moment Made Marvelous, University of Queensland Press, 1998

The Oxford Book of Australian Love Poems, Oxford University Press, 1993

Walking the Dogs, Pariah Press, 1994

Motherlode, Australian Women ‘s Poetry 1986 – 2008,  Puncher & Wattman, 2009,

Puncher and Wattman Anthology of Australian Poetry, Puncher & Wattman, 2009;

Australian Love Stories, Inkerman & Blunt, 2014.

Prayers for a Secular World, Inkerman & Blunt, 2015.

 

Poetry & Short Story Awards/Prizes

1991 winner of the Sunraysia Open Poetry Award for a single poem.

1992 winner of the John Shaw Neilson Poetry Award for a single poem.

1993 winner of the Sunshine Writer’s Group Open Poetry Award for a single poem.

1997 winner of the Woorilla Open Poetry Award for a single poem.

2003 shortlisted for the Somerset Festival of Literature Poetry Award.

2005 winner of the Mary Grant Bruce Short Story Award

2016 Third Prize, Melbourne Poets’ Union International Poetry Prize.

Work in Schools:

I regularly work as a writer in schools. Two or more day residencies include such diverse schools as Methodist Ladies College, Loreto Mandeville Hall, Presentation College, Wodonga West College in Victoria, and Ryan Catholic College in Townsville. I am a regular presenter for the The Literature Centre, Fremantle.

I have run professional development sessions, usually but not always, focusing on poetry for a number of different schools and organisations including: Australian Centre for Youth Literature,  Avila College,  Brisbane Girls Grammar School and The Literature Centre.

Festivals and Readings

I have done numerous readings and presentations in Australia in various venues including the Brisbane Writers’ Festival, the Sydney Writers’ Festival and the Melbourne Writer’s Festival.

Upcoming events include The 40th Clifden Arts Festival September 14-24th 2017 & Over the Edge Writers’ Gathering, Galway.