Susan Coleridge, Robert Engwerda, Lisa Lang and Mary Lightfoot play with the past in different ways. Inspired by the landscape and history of Victoria’s Western District, Susan is completing a young adult novel, Geordie. Victoria’s goldfields feature in Robert’s new novel, Mosquito Creek. Lisa’s novel, Utopian Man, draws on the life of eccentric Melbourne bookseller E.W. Cole, while Mary found inspiration closer to home, in her aunt, the dancer Louise Lightfoot. All awarded Australian Society of Authors mentorships, these four talented new writers read from their work, with questions and discussion to follow. Chaired by the ASA’s executive director Jeremy Fisher.
SUSAN COLERIDGE (INTERSTATE) SUSAN COLERIDGE lives on a farm near Ballarat. It is in this landscape during the wool boom of the 19th century that her current project, a young-adult novel entitled Geordie, is set. Susan was awarded an ASA mentorship in 2008 for this project under the guidance of editor Julia Stiles. Susan’s previous children’s novel Gold Fever is also a response to the landscape of the region, telling the story of a time-slip set at Sovereign Hill. Her short stories have been published in Best Australian Stories, Island and broadcast on the ABC. Susan teaches in the Professional Writing and Editing, and Language and Literacy departments of Ballarat University.
ROBERT ENGWERDA (LOCAL) ROBERT ENGWERDA’s first novel, Backwaters, was published in 2004 and longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in 2005. In 2007 he won a place in the Australian Society of Authors highly regarded mentorship program. His second novel, Mosquito Creek, will be published in 2010. He is currently working on two new novels and a number of short stories.
LISA LANG (LOCAL) LISA LANG is the author of E .W. Cole: Chasing the Rainbow, the life story of Edward Cole, eccentric bookseller of Melbourne and creator of Cole’s Funny Picture Book. This project was assisted by a grant from the City of Melbourne. In 2007 she was awarded a place on the Australian Society of Authors’ Mentorship program, and since then has been working with editor Judith Lukin-Amundsen on her upcoming novel, Utopian Man. Her short stories have won prizes in competitions including Shoalhaven, Eastern Regional and Boorandara literary awards.
MARY LIGHTFOOT (LOCAL) MARY LIGHTFOOT has been researching and writing the biography of Louise Lightfoot, her aunt, for a number of years. A co-authored entry (with her mentor, Professor Marian Quartly) is published in The Australian Dictionary of Biography: Supplement 1580 to 1980 and another will soon appear in the Dictionary of Sydney Online Project. Though always interested in Louise’s story, she only began investigating and writing about her 20 years after her aunt’s death.
JEREMY FISHER (LOCAL) JEREMY FISHER worked as an editor and publishing manager for nearly 30 years before moving into rights management and advocacy roles. He was president of the Society of Editors (NSW) in 1996 and a member of the Board of the Australian Publishers' Association from 1998-2000. In 1984 he was awarded the inaugural Gold Medal of the Australian Society of Indexers (AusSI) for his indexing of The Australian Encyclopaedia, 4th edition. As a writer, Jeremy was first published in 1974. His writing encompasses fiction, poetry, prose, reviews and critical articles. In 2004, Fisher was appointed executive director of the Australian Society of Authors.
Events
Print This Page
Venue and Transport Info
Add to My Schedule
