Sydney Writers' Festival

URSULA DUBOSARSKY (LOCAL)
Ursula Dubosarsky is a multi-award winning novelist and one of Australia's finest writers for children.

She was born in Sydney in 1961. After studying several languages at university, she taught French to primary school children. She then travelled to Israel where she spent one of her most memorable years on a kibbutz.

Since 1989, Ursula has published many award-winning books including The White Guinea-Pig, The First Book of Samuel, High Hopes, Abyssinia and The Red Shoe. Her work is recognised overseas as well as in Australia. The Cambridge Guide to Children's Books in English describes her as "one of the most original voices in Australian writing for young people".

Her latest book is The Word Spy.
www.ursuladubosarsky.com

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney
274: The Word Spy with Ursula Dubosarsky

KARL KRUSZELNICKI (LOCAL)
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki used to be a ‘proper pukka scientist, engineer and doctor’, but is currently a popular author and a science commentator on radio and television. He appears on Triple J and other ABC radio stations, on BBC radio and is one half of the ‘Sleek Geeks’ on ABC TV.

Dr Karl is the Julius Sumner Miller Fellow at the University of Sydney, in the Science Foundation of the Physics Department. Please Explain is his 26th book.
www.drkarl.com

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney

JONATHAN LLEWELLYN (LOCAL)
Jonathan Llewellyn was born into theatre; he directs, produces, performs and creates all sorts of theatre. He is the Marketing Officer at Riverside Theatres.

also appearing at...
8: Primary School Days – Parramatta

TOMMY MURPHY (LOCAL)
Tommy Murphy is an award-winning playwright with recent productions in New York, San Francisco, Auckland, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Director's Course) and a former writer in residence at Griffin Theatre Company Sydney.

His play Holding The Man won the NSW Premier's Award for Best Play after its sell-out season at Sydney Opera House. Tommy is the only playwright to win in successive years. In 2006, he was the youngest recipient of the award with Strangers in Between. His other works include Troy’s House, Precipice and an adaptation of Marlowe’s Massacre at Paris.

He has taught theatremaking and writing for NIDA Open Program, Australian Theatre for Young People, University of Sydney Faculty of Education and Social Work, Drama NSW, The World Congress for International Drama/Theatre and Education Association in Hong Kong, Interplay International Playwrights’ Conference in Townsville, The Shakespeare Globe Centre, POM Television Productions in Papua New Guinea, Outback Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Ensemble Page to Stage as well as a variety of schools.

also appearing at...
6: Workshop: Dramatic Action – An Introduction to Writing for the Stage with Tommy Murphy
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney
188: The Art of Adaptation

MICHAEL GERARD BAUER (INTERSTATE)
Michael Gerard Bauer is a full-time writer. He lives with his family in the suburb of Brisbane where he was born, grew up, went to school and spent a number of years teaching.

In 2003 Michael won the Writesmall micro-fiction competition for stories of exactly 100 words in the Brisbane Writers Festival. His first novel, The Running Man, was published the following year to glowing reviews and won the CBCA Book of the Year (Older Readers) award.

His second novel, Don’t Call Me Ishmael! won the CBCA Junior Judges Book of the Year (Older Readers) award and was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards in 2007. Michael felt compelled to follow Ishmael and his mates into Year Ten after the success of the first Ishmael book. Ishmael and the Return of the Dugongs is just as funny.
www.scholastic.com.au/common/books/contributor_profile.asp?ContributorID=527

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney
95: Writing for Young Adults

J C BURKE (LOCAL)
J.C. Burke has written a number of acclaimed books for teenagers and young adults, including Nine Letters Long, The Story of Tom Brennan and Faking Sweet, and CBCA Notable Books White Lies and The Red Cardigan.

The Story of Tom Brennan won the 2006 CBCA Book of the Year (Older Readers), and the 2006 Australian Family Therapists Award for Children’s Literature. It has recently been added to the NSW HSC syllabus list. Her latest book is Starfish Sisters.
www.jcburke.com.au

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney

D M CORNISH (INTERSTATE)
D.M. Cornish’s early experiences with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien convinced him that other worlds existed. By the time he was ready to publish his own story, he had filled 23 journals with pictures, definitions, ideas and histories of his world, the Half-Continent. It was not until 2003 that a chance encounter with a children’s publisher gave him an opportunity to develop these ideas further and bring Monster Blood Tattoo to life. Monster Blood Tattoo Book 1: Foundling was a 2007 CBCA Honour Book (Older Readers). Book 2: Lamplighter will be released in May 2008.
www.monsterbloodtattoo.com

also appearing at...
31: Right Down to the Plumbing: Speculative Fiction and World-building
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney

TIM FLANNERY (LOCAL)
Tim Flannery is a writer, scientist and explorer. He has written over a dozen books, including the award-winning bestsellers The Future Eaters and Throwim Way Leg.

His groundbreaking book on global warming, The Weather Makers: The History and Future Impact of Climate Change has been published in 32 countries, and has played a key role in international discussion of the issue.

Tim has also written two books for young adults, We Are the Weather Makers and Where Is Here: 350 Years of Exploring Australia. He was named Australian of the Year in 2007.
www.theweathermakers.org

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney

NICKI GREENBERG (INTERSTATE)
Nicki Greenberg is a Melbourne-based comic artist, illustrator and lawyer.

In 1990 she wrote and illustrated The Digits, a series of 12 children's books, selling 400,000 copies in Australia and New Zealand. Spin-off merchandise included greeting cards, giftwraps and stickers.

In 2005, she wrote and illustrated It's True! Squids Suck. It was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Aventis prize and the Australian Wilderness Society Awards in 2006. Her most recent publication is a graphic novel interpretation of the classic The Great Gatsby.

An active contributor to the Australian independent comic art scene, Nicki's comics have appeared in Silent Army, Pure Evil, Tango and other comic art anthologies in Australia, Canada and Spain. Her work has been included in exhibitions such as Comic Book Lifestyle (Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts) and Inside Out (Westspace Gallery) and featured in The Age newspaper.

also appearing at...
35: Secondary School Days – Sydney
337: Workshop: Playing Between the Frames - Creating Graphic Novels with Nicki Greenberg