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.