Www.swwvic.org.au



Sunday 14th February

FESTIVAL LAUNCH 11.00am–1.15pm

*In person at Library @ the Dock and livestreamed, bookings required due to COVID restrictions.

Acknowledgement to Country and introductions – President, Society of Women Writers Victoria, Caroline Webber Official launch – Honourable Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp

Keynote – Rosalie Ham

Author of the recently released The Dressmaker’s Secret, sequel to The Dressmaker, Rosalie will give a precis of her adventure from writing class to publication, what writing means to her now and how it has impacted her life and career.

12.15pm – 1.15pm Speaker’s Corner | Music by Carla Russo | Festival Bookshop opens | 50th anniversary cake cutting.

With 50+ speakers across 50 sessions over seven days, this festival has something for writers of all genders and cultures. Attend workshops on how to get published, panel discussions on diverse topics such as writing about adventure, food, memoir and more, and fantastic headline speakers daily.

For the Love of Journaling 4.00pm – 5.00pm (online) After a tough year in 2020, many realised that we need resilience to get through tough times. Writing in a journal can go a long way to guiding you through adversity. Blaise van Hecke will launch her book Ink it! Find Purpose, Peace and Pleasure Through Writing and give you tips for your own journal writing.

Presenter: Blaise van Hecke

Literary Pub Quiz 7.00pm – 8.00pm (online)

BYO preferred beverage and put your brains to the test. Prepared by the Society of Women Writers Victoria (Razmi Wahab, Judith A Green, Elizabeth Mclellan and Nanice Leggas)

Bedtime Story 6.45pm–7.00pm Daily

Share the link to a pre-recorded bedtime story with the youngest family members and lull them to sleep with stories read by Jack Beaumont, Caz Goodwin, Fiona Mearon, Susan Ramage, Kilisitina Sisifa, Meryl Brown Tobin, Mary Jones and Jodi Wintz-Rose.

Presented by the

Society of Women Writers Victoria

in partnership with City of Melbourne

This festival will be online via Zoom. The festival launch, Op the Difficult Women show will be live and online (separate tickets required). To book full week or daily passes,

get more details or prices, go to:

Monday 15th February 2021 (all sessions online via Zoom)

|7.00am – 7.20am |7.30am – 7.45am |10.30am – 11.15am |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 2.45pm |4.00pm – 5.00pm |7.00pm – 8.00pm |

|Wake Up! Writers | | | | | | |

|Move those bodies and stretch. |Breakfast Bites: Tips, hints and|Historical Romance: The Sultan’s|For the love of Memories |Introduction to writing and |Where there’s a wheel, there’s a|The Female Focus: reducing the |

|Feel invigorated and full of |tricks for writers |Daughter |Join Blaise van Hecke |illustrating |way |gap one monologue at a time |

|energy following this exercise |Professional Presentation: |Writing is a labour of love, we |(facilitator), Judith A Green, |children’s books |Explorer/ adventurer, Kate |Bridgette Burton has been |

|class designed just for writers |Creating and formatting a stand-|don’t do it for the money or the|Sue Gunningham and Maribel Steel|Hear from well- known children’s|Leeming has cycled a distance |writing, acting and directing |

|(all ages and abilities |out manuscript. |fame, it’s love that keeps us at|for a trip down memory lane and |book author Caz Goodwin and |greater than twice the world’s |theatre since the early 1990s. |

|welcome). |Presenter: Caroline Webber |the desk. But how do you write |a discussion about turning |illustrator Jess Racklyeft, as |circumference and attained four |Christina Costigan is a |

|Presenter: Hannah Johnson | |about characters you don’t |memories into manuscripts. |they discuss their experiences |world first achievements on her |corporate communications |

| | |particularly like? | |and learn about the role of the |major expeditions; through |professional, |

| | |How do you write experiences | |international Society of |Europe, across Russia, through |actor, writer and theatre maker.|

| | |that are unfamiliar? How do you | |Children’s Book Writers and |Australia and across Africa. |In 1999, Bridgette and Christina|

| | |write about love when you’re | |Illustrators (SCBWI). |Through the story of her |started Baggage Productions, an |

| | |disillusioned with the idea of | |Presenters: Caz Goodwin and Jess|journeys, focusing on her |independent theatre company |

| | |love? | |Racklyeft |African expedition (Senegal to |which produces original scripts |

| | |Jane Downing will discuss | | |Somalia), Kate talks about her |written by women. More than 20 |

| | |writing her historical romance | | |passions and purposes, what |years later, they are still |

| | |The Sultan’s Daughter based on | | |keeps her going through the |producing original theatre |

| | |the dramatic real-life events | | |difficult times and the |including the |

| | |of a princess of Zanzibar who | | |importance |annual Madwomen Monologues which|

| | |gave up everything for a | | |of following each challenge from|celebrated its 10th anniversary |

| | |forbidden love. | | |a dream through to its |in 2020. |

| | |Presenter: Jane Downing | | |completion. |Presenters: Bridgette Burton and|

| | | | | |Presenter: Kate Leeming |Christina Costigan |

Tuesday 16th February 2021(all sessions online via Zoom)

|7.00am – 7.20am |7.30am – 7.45am |10.30am – 11.15am |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 3.00pm |4.00pm – 5.00pm |5.30pm – 6.30pm |7.00pm – 8.00pm |

Wednesday 17th February 2021 (all sessions online via Zoom)

|7.00am – 7.20am |7.30am – 7.45am |10.30am – 11.15am |11.15am – 12.00pm |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 3.00pm |4.00pm – 4.30pm |7.00pm – 8.00pm |

Thursday 18th February 2021(all sessions online via Zoom)

|7.00am – 7.20am |7.30am – 7.45am |10.30am – 11.15am |11.30am – 12.10pm |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 3.00pm |4.00pm – 5.00pm |7.30pm – 8.30pm |

Friday 19th February 2021 (all sessions online via Zoom)

|7.00am – 7.20am |7.30am – 7.45am |10.30am – 11.15am |11.15am – 12.00pm |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 3.00pm |4.00pm – 5.00pm |5.30pm – 6.30pm |

| | |Presenter: Roberta Hamilton | | | | | |

| |9.30am – 10.15am | | | | | | |

| |Telling Firsts Nation | | | | | | |

| |Perspectives and Protocols | | | | | | |

| |Kat consults with | | | | | | |

| |mainstream, creative | | | | | | |

| |industries and community | | | | | | |

| |organisations to ensure the | | | | | | |

| |right cultural processes are| | | | | | |

| |upheld. Join this session to| | | | | | |

| |learn more. | | | | | | |

| |Presenter: Kat Clarke | | | | | | |

Saturday 20th February 2021(all sessions online via Zoom)

|10.30am – 11.30am |12.15pm – 1.15pm |2.00pm – 3.00pm |4.00pm – 5.00pm |7.00pm – 8.00pm |

|Inspiration: Writing for young people |Writing is NOT a lonely business |Words and Pictures: The illustrator’s |For the Love of Biography |FINALE |

|Transferring the passion of writing for young|“Every writer I know has trouble writing.” – |perspective |Jo’s biography of Jessie Traill was published|Difficult Women has been performing concerts |

|people into a story involves serious |Joseph Heller |Creating an illustrated book is a |by Australian Scholarly Publishing in early |in the Australian and International Art and |

|commitment. It is about |The Love of Writing is the start, but writing|collaborative process combining the creative |2020. From the 10-year-old girl who first met|Folk Festivals since its inception in 1993. |

|translating inspiration into words that |is trouble. It is very hard at times |skills of two or |Tom Roberts painting on the Ti-Tree lined |Using the acting, narrating and singing |

|inspire young people to think, create, |especially when alone. How do you translate |more individuals from different disciplines –|shores of Port Phillip Bay, to a |skills of Lin Van Hek and the |

|explore, laugh, |that love of writing into the work you want |the wordsmith and the artist. |student of Frederick McCubbin and etchers |musical and arranging talents of |

|cry and engage. Discover the magic of picture|to create? There is reading and writing in |Successful collaborations produce amazing |John Mather |multi-instrumentalist, Joe Dolce, Difficult |

|books, advocate against bullying in |your private place. However writing needs |results; unsuccessful collaborations can |and Frank Brangwyn, Jessie developed her |Women brings to life on stage, both in |

|children’s books, support campaigns such as |company to support each other’s journey. |cause pens and brushes to fly. So how does an|skills as an artist. She interrupted her |concert and stage format, some of our most |

|literacy, unlock the hilarious humour |Through the writing community, you can share |illustrator express themselves creatively |career to work as a voluntary nurse in France|important and controversial women artists, |

|of kids, navigate the dramatic search for |the craft, |when responding to other people’s words? How |for 5 years in World War I and later raised |women who were labelled difficult in their |

|identity in young adult novels. Writing for |editing, promotions, events, opportunities |do you ensure synergy? How do you unite to |funds and revisited to war-torn Europe. |day due to their willingness to go against |

|young people is inspiring and a privilege. |and the many aspects of being a writer. Hazel|create a book that meets industry and |She returned to become one of most |the accepted norm for what it meant to be a |

|Present: Susanne Gervay OAM |Edwards OAM and Susanne Gervay OAM share how |consumer’s expectations? t |accomplished Australian etchers of the |female artist. |

| |relevant it is that writing is not a lonely |Join artists and book illustrators Nettie |twentieth century |PLEASE NOTE: There is an additional charge |

| |business. |Lodge, Jess Racklyeft, Kathryn Garland and |Presenter: Jo Oliver |for this event to see it live. Please go here|

| |1.15pm COMPETITION WINNERS ANNOUNCED |Jack and Harry Beaumont to find out. | |to book: |

| |Presenters: Hazel Edwards OAM and | | |paypalme/difficultwomen |

| |Susanne Gervay OAM | | |Tickets are $20 and limited to 15 seats. |

Emma Adair’s debut novel, 2068, breaks all literary conventions and delivers gripping and moving speculative fiction, with a profoundly human story at its heart.

Martha Ackroyd Curtis is an Australian writer, and artist (video, installation and multi-mediums). Her work consists

of large-scale installation art, which is formulated through cohesive conceptual design. She has exhibited extensively internationally and participated in various art festivals such as Melbourne Fringe, Sydney Fringe, Adelaide FringeVIEW, and Midsumma Festival.

Curtis is also the creator and founder of The Videos Suitcase Walk a performance art/video art project.

Jack and Harry Beaumont are brothers who love reading, writing and illustrating stories. Jack came up with the idea for The Little Green Frog while travelling on a canal boat down the River Nene in Northamptonshire, UK, counting dragonflies, damselflies and other wildlife. Harry painted lots of pictures with bright colours that were cut up into pieces to form collages to illustrate the story.

A former secondary teacher of Humanities subjects, Meryl Brown Tobin is an Australian writer of short and long fiction for adults and children, non-fiction, poetry, puzzles, cartoons and comic strips. Her 18 published books include puzzle/activity books, black-line masters books of educational puzzles, workbooks, a travel book, a children’s picture storybook, a poetry collection and a haiku collection with four other poets.

Bridgette Burton has been writing, acting and directing theatre since the early 1990s. She formed Baggage Productions with Christina Costigan in 1999, a company dedicated to promoting the original work of women artists. Bridgette has co-written four successful comedy shows and solo written over 80 plays and monologues. Bridgette won the RE Ross Trust Playwrights Script Development Award in 2005 and 2009.

Sally Capp was re-elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in October 2020 after having previously been elected in May 2018 and was the first woman to be directly elected as Lord Mayor. As Melbourne grows, she is committed to ensuring it remains a caring and thoughtful city, as well as a prosperous one. In 2019 Sally was awarded the RMIT Honorary Doctorate of Law Honoris Causa and was also the recipient of the McKinnon Emerging Political Leader of the Year.

Kat Clarke is a proud Wotjobaluk writer, consultant, artist and curator from the Wimmera. She is an active advocate within her own community and Land Council and holds strong relationships with multiple Melbourne and Victorian communities. Kat gradually developed her writing craft alongside learning the ways of her

cultural lore and storytelling from community and Elders dear to her.

Christina Costigan is a corporate communications professional, actor, writer and theatre maker. In 1999 established Baggage Productions with Bridgette Burton, an independent theatre company which produces original scripts written by women. Christina has written numerous monologues, sketch comedy and short plays, some of which have been performed in Australia and internationally.

Samantha Cross began writing and recording recipes in her teens. Trips back to the Istrian Peninsula, now part of Croatia, were

opportunities to cook with her Nona and preserve spoken traditional recipes. Capturing the essence of her heritage has culminated in The Istrian Cookbook, with over 130 recipes and an opportunity to

celebrate and share the unique Adriatic Sea meets Eastern European comfort food cuisine, due in 2021.

Tiffany Davis majored in English Literature and Cinema Studies at the University of Melbourne, completed her studies with the

Performing Arts degree at Monash University whilst undertaking the St. Martins Youth Theatre Scholarship Program. She has been on Rove Live, The Joke Show, Neighbours, Winners and Losers and the award winning short All’s Swell That Ends Swell. Tiffany joined Baggage Productions in 2004. Currently, she is producing video

content exploring the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.

Difficult Women has been performing concerts in the Australian and International Art and Folk Festivals since its inception in 1993. Using the acting, narrating and singing skills of Lin Van Hek and the musical and arranging talents of multi-instrumentalist, Joe Dolce, Difficult Women brings to life on stage some of our most important and controversial women artists, women who were labelled difficult in their day due to their willingness to go against the accepted norm for what it meant to be a female artist.

Jane Downing’s short stories and poetry have been widely published in journals internationally. In 2016 she was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Her novels The Trickster (2003) and The Lost Tribe (2005) – were published by Pandanus Books and her novel Yack was Commended in the Jim Hamilton Unpublished Manuscript Award in 2016. The Sultan’s Daughter is her most recent novel (2020).

Paulette Dubé relies on the good fortune of living in Jasper National Park for her daily dose of magic realism. Her poetry and prose have garnered a number of awards and short list nominations including: the Milton Acorn Memorial People’s Poetry Award, the CBC Alberta Anthology, the CBC Literary Awards, the Alberta Writers’ Guild Best Novel Award, the Starburst Award, the Exporting Alberta Award and

the Fred Kerner Award.

Irina Dunn is a well-known manuscript assessor, editor and literary agent, and current Director of the Australian Writers’ Network. She is past Director of the NSW Writers’ Centre, Manager of the Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society and Managing Editor at Booktopia. She wrote The Writer’s Guide: a companion to writing for pleasure or publication, (Allen & Unwin), which was shortlisted for the APA’s National Education Awards.

Well known for the children’s book, There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, Hazel Edwards OAM is interested in stories crossing mediums. She writes for children, teens and adults in both fiction and non-fiction and is well sought after as a teacher in writing and creativity. Hazel is patron of the Society of Women Writers (Victoria).

Carita Farrer-Spencer has been a professional performer, writer, director, visual artist, collaborator and creator for nearly 30 years.

She has worked extensively across several mediums of storytelling such as theatre, music, comedy, film & TV, cabaret and circus. She has appeared many times for companies such as Melbourne Theatre Co, Queensland Theatre, Belvoir St, LaBoite Theatre, Hothouse Theatre, as well performing at festivals around the country.

Susannah Fullerton, OAM, FRSN, is a literary lecturer, author and literary tour leader. She blogs monthly at, ‘Notes from a Book Addict’, and gives talks about famous writers and their work. Her

books include works about Jane Austen, and also Brief Encounters: Literary travellers in Australia, and audio CDs about Katherine Mansfield and favourite poems. Susannah is President of the Jane Austen Society of Australia, Patron of the Rudyard Kipling Society

and Patroness of the International Heyer Society.

Kathryn Garland has a degree in Fine Art and is primarily a visual artist who draws inspiration from landscape and life drawing. She is currently illustrating a book that documents the landscape in and around Melbourne called Wonder. The book is a guide on where to go and what to do with children, and focuses on the importance of connecting with nature and creative play for children.

Multi-award-winning Susanne Gervay OAM speaks against bullying through story; advocates for UN Vision2020 with The Boy in the

Big Blue Glasses; brings literacy to remote indigenous schools. Her loved books include her anti bullying I Am Jack books; YA books Butterflies (disability), Shadows of Olive Trees (feminism); Elephants Have Wings (Harmony Day) and Heroes of the Secret Underground

empowering youth to become champions of justice.

Caz Goodwin is an internationally published, award-winning author who writes picture books, short stories and junior fiction. She heads the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Victoria and is on the Young Australian Best Book Awards (YABBA) council. Caz’s latest books, Lazy Daisy and Daisy Runs Wild, are fun, rhyming picture books featuring a lovable koala named Daisy.

Judith A Green grew up on a farm outside Warracknabeal, which possibly explains why much of her writing has a rural basis. Judith has been placed or commended in a variety of literary competitions for her poetry, short stories, non-fiction and children’s writing and been published in several anthologies. Judith released Inherited Touch in 2020 (Busybird Publishing).

Sue Gunningham regularly delivers writing workshops and author talks. Her memoir Waldene – Love in the Shadows (2020) is the love story of Sue and Barry. Her earlier memoir All the Days After (2015) describes the struggles Sue faced following Barry’s death in the Black Saturday bushfires. For twenty years she has been the lead writer

and trainer of ‘MoneyMinded’, ANZ’s financial literacy program for vulnerable people across Australia and the Pacific.

Rosalie Ham was born and raised in Jerilderie, NSW. After time travelling, she returned to Australia to study Drama and Literature at university, later moving onto creative writing. She is a Melbourne based writer best known for her best-selling debut novel, The Dressmaker (2000) which was adapted to film in 2015. Rosalie’s fifth

novel, is titled The Dressmaker’s Secret (2020) and is a sequel to The Dressmaker.

Roberta Hamilton completed a double degree in English and Creative Writing in 2004 and has written more seriously since then, when demands of more study, parish responsibilities and lately, grief have allowed. Now retired, she intends further study, to write and sew, as well as tend her new garden. Roberta is passionate about architecture, music and reading, and being the kindest Christian she can be.

Lucinda Hawksley is an author, broadcaster and lecturer, whose books include biographies of the artists Kate Perugini (née Dickens), Princess Louise and Lizzie Siddal. Her other titles include Dickens and Christmas; Elizabeth Revealed; The Writer Abroad; Bitten by Witch Fever; Charles Dickens and his Circle; and March, Women, March: Voices of the Women’s Movement. Her upcoming book is Dickens and Travel.

Khadija Ibrahim works in the service industry providing support to small businesses. Growing up in Nairobi she was fascinated by language. Khadija now lives in Melbourne and realises the

importance of sharing her language with her children, enabling then to learn and appreciate their rich heritage, culture and language.

She identified a gap in the market and decided to write stories for children who need to see their language and culture represented.

Hannah Johnson is a qualified fitness instructor with a passion for group fitness and has taught at various gyms around Melbourne since 2018. Hannah is not a fitness fanatic but sees the need of exercise for improved mental and physical health. She has chronic anxiety and depression as a result of being autistic and finds that regular exercise helps her control these.

Mary Jones has a background in teaching and amateur theatre, has directed Shakespeare productions, and written playscripts for

performance by amateurs and professionals. Mary has written poems, plays, short stories, articles, advertising copy, computer programs and Maths worksheets. She has been published in magazines and anthologies in the UK, Europe and Australia and won several writing competitions. Mary has published four poetry collections and one crime novel.

Philip Jones worked as a programmer and database consultant from the 1960s (starting in the UK). Now retired and living in Australia,

he sings with the Melbourne Bach Choir. He has worked with Mary in theatre productions as actor and director, and together they have performed in many musical and literary events. He is the main inspiration, first reader, editor, critic and computer expert for her books.

Ronni Kahn AO is a social entrepreneur and founder of food rescue charity OzHarvest. Ronni is a passionate advocate and activist renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia.

Her journey is the subject of a feature film, Food Fighter and her memoir; A Repurposed Life has recently been published. Photo: Anthony Geernaert.

Bhavna Khanna’s love of food started in her early teens with her family. After moving to the UK in 2003, she found a friend with the same food passion and started a catering company specialising in fine dining with an in-home service. Bhavna moved to Australia in 2006 and wrote and illustrated a cookbook named Olives (Green Olive Press 2011).

Beverley Lello writes short fiction and plays. For fifteen years she was Production Manager of the Yackandandah Theatre Company. She has acted in, directed and written several plays for this group and has also had short plays performed by other theatre companies. Beverley continues to be involved with YTC, mainly as a writer and encouraging others to write for theatre. Her short story collection, Tailwind, was published in 2017.

As an explorer/adventurer, Kate Leeming, has cycled a distance greater than twice the world’s circumference and attained four world firsts on her major expeditions. Sharing her stories to inspire and educate is equally as important as the expeditions. Kate has self- published two books, Out There and Back and Njinga, Breaking the Cycle in Africa. (Author pic by Claire Soveny)

Nettie Lodge exhibits regularly in Sydney. Her recent exhibition was based on the Coleridge poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum. For the 20 years she has been writing and illustrating children’s books. Her picture book, Bird (ABC Books), won a Notable Book Merit at the CBC of Australia Awards. She works as a freelance illustrator and part time lecturer.

Born in Oxford, England, Miriam Margolyes is a veteran of stage and screen – an award-winning actress who achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic. She was awarded an OBE for her services to drama in 2002. Dickens’ Women by Miriam Margolyes and Sonia Fraser is published by Hesperus Press. Miriam toured the world in 2012, the bicentenary of Dickens’ birth, with a one-woman show about Dickens’ women.

Fiona Mearon is an Australian fine artist who has been painting and illustrating for over twenty years. Passionate about trying new and old artistic techniques she can sometimes be found absorbed in her grandfather’s art books from the 1800s. Fiona’s love for the arts led her to write and illustrate two children’s books for her son and

stepsons who love to talk about dragons with their Welsh father, who sings them lullabies and folk songs in his native language.

Stacy Nottle’s debut novel, After the Flood, was published in 2019 and her memoir, Breastless, was released Feb 2021. She is a teacher, careers counsellor and author, living in Toowoomba, QLD.

Jo Oliver is a writer and printmaker. Her biography of Jessie Traill was published by Australian Scholarly

Publishing in 2020. Jo holds a Master of Arts and has worked for many years in oral history and historical research. Each of her children’s picture books uses printmaking as an illustration medium. https:// book/jessie-traill/

Valerie Pybus-Lewis has been travelling the world since the age of five. Through countless events, writing has sustained her. Valerie

has self-published five books of poetry, short stories and her travels. She has been involved in literary groups such as the Fellowship of Australian Writers (Manly Peninsula, as president) and Society of Women Writers (NSW, as president).

Jess Racklyeft is an accomplished children’s book illustrator. She was long-listed in the Indie Book Awards for her author/illustrated book,

Welcome Baby to This World. Jess spent almost a decade working in publishing for Lonely Planet and The Five Mile Press. Jess also runs a busy freelance illustration business working for clients across Australia and selling artworks and printed products.

Susan Ramage is an award-winning author living in Sydney. Her love of nature is celebrated in The Urban Escapees. In 2020, Susan’s

work was published in an anthology of nature writing, Splash, Slither, Squawk! by the Society of Women Writers of NSW. Susan’s first book, Kokoda Secret is a ground-breaking historical work.

Jodi Wintz-Rose’s book, Journeys of the Heart - Carers’ Stories of Love, Loss and Transformation was published by Arbon Books after the death of her husband, Olympic swimming legend Murray Rose. She also wrote the Introduction to his memoir Life is Worth Swimming. Her play Sylph – starring actress Gertraud Ingeborg – had two Sydney seasons and one international run in Italy.

Carla Russo is a recent Arts graduate who is currently exploring the publishing industry. She writes songs about her many feelings and how she sometimes gets mistaken for a 15-year-old. She has been performing at Melbourne bars since 2017. In 2018 she recorded an EP, titled ‘Oversharer’. Her favourite gig was opening for front woman of Camp Cope, Georgia Maq.

Teacher, cultural consultant and artist, Kirli Saunders, is a proud Gunai Woman (named the NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year, 2020) and award-winning writer of poetry, plays and picture books. Her books include celebrated The Incredible Freedom Machines (Scholastic 2018), Kindred (Magabala 2019), and Bindi (Magabala 2020). Her poetry and prose can also be found in Fire Front (UQP),

Animals Make Us Human (Penguin) and Guwayu (Magabala).

Tegan Jane Schetrumpf has a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Master of Letters in English from the University of Sydney. In 2015, her postgraduate research into ‘New Traditionalism’ form and narrative

in millennial Australian poetry won the Dame Leonie Prize. She has been published in Antipodes, Axon, Meanjin, Southerly, and The Australian Poetry Journal. Tegan is the Creative Editor for Alterity Studies and World Literature.

Veronica Schwarz is an artist, editor, web designer and traveller. She founded and published an alternative magazine for women called The Dawn named after Louisa Lawson’s newspaper. Her book, Ride the Wind. Choose the Fire, tells the story of Joan of Arc through a series of imaginary interviews. Down to Earth: Busting the Myths of Mars and Venus, is due soon.

Elif Sezen is an Australian/Turkish multidisciplinary artist, bilingual poet/writer and researcher. She speculates upon reconceptualising memory traces emerging from trauma and loss. Her poetry collections include: Universal Mother GloriaSMH Press (2016); A Little Book of Unspoken History by Puncher & Wattmann (2018); The Dervish with Wings. Elif translated Ilya Kaminsky’s acclaimed book Dancing in Odessa into Turkish (published 2014).

Kilisitina Sisifa was born in the Polynesian Island Kingdom of Tonga and has lived in Melbourne, Australia for the last thirty years.

Creative storytelling, traditional dance or better expressed as poetry in motion, music, family and kinship ties and her faith framed her outlook to life and worldview.

Inspired by her grandmother’s story-telling and lullabies spurred her on to write her first children’s book, published in 2020.

Sue Smethurst is an award-winning author and journalist, with more than 20 years in media working across television, radio and

magazines (including The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Weekend Australian magazine, New Idea, Woman’s Day, Good Weekend, the Herald Sun, Australian House & Garden). International publications include: Woman’s Own (UK), Chat (UK), You (South Africa), Bild am Sonntag (Germany) among others. Sue is the author of nine books, the latest: The Freedom Circus (Penguin Random House).

Maribel Steel is a memoirist, travel writer and author. She has appeared on ABC radio, podcasts, YouTube, Sydney TV and UK Read On Book Show. She is legally blind and writes for VisionAware (USA). During COVID-19, she helped young writers to create stories called ‘Piggyback Writing’ and published a book co-written with her

grand-daughter. Maribel is a speaking coach and mentors writers and speakers to present with confidence.

KJ Taylor has been publishing novels since she was seventeen (she lied about her age to her first publisher!). She is best known for the Cymrian Saga fantasy series, which began with The Dark Griffin in 2009. Since then she’s branched out into editing and publishing. KJ lives in a small wooden yurt in Canberra, Australia.

Tonia Todman is an Australian television personality, who has appeared on Good Morning Australia, Healthy, Wealthy and Wise and Rove Live. She has had extensive editorial and journalistic experience over thirty years with A.C.P., Fairfax and Murdoch working with well- known weekly and monthly magazines and was in-house author

and Editor with J.B. Fairfax Press; Ten years with Australian Vogue;

Australian National Sewing Manager for Bernina; a similar position with Janome; eight years as National creative consultant and face of Lincraft; twelve years nationally for Kresta Blinds.

Blaise van Hecke is Publisher at Busybird Publishing. She is the author of The Road to Tralfamadore is Bathed in River Water, a memoir about growing up on a commune in the 70s as well as 50 Days for Fifty Years: Waking the Camino de Santiago a travelogue of her

800-kilometre solo walk across Spain. Blaise loves nurturing an author through the writing and self-publishing process.

Razmi Wahab speaks Malay and English but her preferred language for writing is English. She has lived longer in Australia than in her birth country, Malaysia. She graduated in English literature and has been writing from an early age. Presently she prefers to write articles but would occasionally breaks out in poetry, which she shares with her writing group of over forty years, Eve Fortune.

Caroline Webber (Green Olive Press) is passionate about story and published her own monthly newspaper at ten. She became an

editor and publisher after being awarded a doctorate for research on eighteenth-century literature and editorial practices. She also writes reviews, articles, funding applications and technical documents.

Current project: a book about places to explore in Victoria. Caroline is president of the Society of Women Writers Vic.

Di Websdale-Morrissey has authored three books, ghost-written one, co-authored one, and published many articles. She taught across RMIT’s prestigious writing programs for many years. Now Di writes, mentors and conducts small writing workshops. Her most recent book, On a Wing and a Prayer featured on Radio National’s “Conversations” (2019) and “The Reel Thing” (Aurora TV Christmas Edition 19).

London born Pip Williams lives in the Adelaide Hills. She has written extensively in the areas of health, community and work, and is co- author of the book Time Bomb: Work Rest and Play in Australia Today. Pip is the author of One Italian Summer, a memoir and her most recent book is the best-selling debut novel of 2020, The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Paula Wilson joined the Society of Women Writers Victoria in the mid 1990s while studying Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT and has been an active member ever since. In recent years Paula has taken up distance running and a lot of her story ideas come and are developed while she is plodding along tracks around Melbourne. One day she will write about her running journey.

Margrit Zalisz migrated from Germany with her family to Australia at fourteen. Besides reading and writing, Margrit is passionate about music. She began writing thirty years ago and has had short stories, essays and poetry published in various magazines and anthologies. This was followed by five published books and one in progress

About us: In 1970 Margaret Hazzard and a group of women writers in Melbourne formed the Victorian Branch of the Society of Women Writers, which became an

incorporated not-for-profit society in 2000.

Members enjoy annual writing competitions, publication in the annual

Sparx journal, professional mentorship and monthly speakers. We have sister societies in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. Check the website for more information: .au

With grateful thanks to the SWWV Committee, Festival Sub-Committee and members of SWWV for their help with planning and organising the Festival. Special thanks to non-members, Lucy Steabben for her technical assistance and

Jessica Bendell for overseeing the publicity campaign.

.au

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PROGRAM

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The Society of Women Writers Victoria respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land where we meet: the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation and pays respect to

their Elders past, present and emerging.

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