Event Partners Programme Tickets Survey Short Story Recordings
Our sincere thanks to our major partner, Writing WA and all other event partners – Departments of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Local Government, Sport And Cultural Industries, Geraldton Universities Centre, Lotterywest, Anne and Kim Pedlow, Friends of the Geraldton Library (FOGL), Eastman Poletti Sherwood, Arbitare Pty Ltd, Ray White Geraldton, Ocean Centre Hotel, Geraldton Air Charter, Euphorium Creative, Read a Lot Books, Writers of the Coral Coast, Bundiyarra Aboriginal Community Aboriginal Corporation and Community Group of Greenough, without whom this Festival would not be possible.
Festival Guests
Stephen Kinnane
Stephen Kinnane is a Marda Marda man from Mirriwoong country in the East Kimberley. He has been an active writer and researcher for more than 25 years as well as lecturing and working on sustainability, politics and history with a focus on regional and local community resilience, belonging and connections with place. His interests are diverse, encompassing Aboriginal history, creative documentary (both visual and literary), regional sustainability and resource scarcity. Kinnane co-wrote and produced The Coolbaroo Club (1996), an ABC TV documentary awarded the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Human Rights Award for the Arts, and collaborated with Lauren Marsh and Alice Nannup on When the Pelican Laughed (1992), the story of Mrs Alice Nannup (Fremantle Press).
Yuot A. Alaak
Yuot A. Alaak is an emerging Western Australian writer whose short story ‘The Lost Girl of Pajomba’ was anthologised by Margaret River Press in Ways of Being Here. He was also a panelist at the 2017 Perth Writers Festival and his memoir, Father of the Lost Boys (Fremantle Press, 2020) was shortlisted for the 2018 City of Fremantle Hungerford Award.
Yuot is a former child refugee from South Sudan and was part of the globally known ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’. He currently lives in Perth with his family where he works as a mining professional, having attained degrees in the geosciences and engineering. When not writing or mining, Yuot loves to relax with family and friends over a barbecue.
Charmaine Papertalk Green
Charmaine Papertalk Green was born at Eradu on Southern Yamaji country and is a member of the Wajarri, Badimaya and Nhanagardi Wilunyu cultural groups of Yamaji Nation in Western Australia. Green is a visual artist, poet and writer and began writing poetry in Mullewa in the late 1970’s. In 2020 Charmaine won the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2020 poetry category, twice shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (2019, 2020) winning the ALS Gold Medal 2020 for her beautiful poetry collection Nganajungu Yagu.
Ian Hardy
Ian Hardy has been the Warden of St George's College, University of Western Australia since 2012. He is an Indian born Oxford history graduate, who lived in Hong Kong as a boy and adult, and worked internationally as an investment banker before his career in education in Western Australia.
Jo Jackson King
Jo won her first writing award for the story of a girl throwing a shrimp back into the ocean. This preoccupation with the ways people and the natural world connect to and transform each other can still be found in her writing, her eco-agricultural family business and her occupational therapy practice.
Josh Langley
Josh Langley failed high school twice, but that didn’t stop him from becoming a multi award-winning radio copywriter and award-winning children’s author. His unconventional and inspirational kid’s books have inspired thousands of people around the world.
His latest book, Magnificent Mistakes and Fantastic Failures are currently getting rave reviews.
Natasha Lester
Natasha Lester is the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret and The French Photographer, and a former marketing executive for L’Oreal. When she’s not writing, she loves collecting vintage fashion (Dior is a favourite!), practicing the art of fashion illustration, learning about fashion history – and travelling to Paris!
Andrew Macleod
Andrew James Macleod is a poet, creative writer and multi-award-winning copywriter. He’s been published in two non-fiction books, several online journals and was placed highly in two Margies Poetry Slams.
Andrew is currently writing a chap book of surrealist poetry while studying at ECU majoring in literature and writing.
Amanda Rowland
Amanda trained as a Fine Arts student in Melbourne. She practised as an artist (sculptor) for over 20 years, moved to Geraldton and turned her skills to publishing in the print media. Living in the Southern Rangelands inspired a podcast series Wildfood from the Rangelands that evolved into www.soilandhumanhealth.com
Matilda Scotney
Matilda Scotney uses the concept of futuristic or alternate timeline Time Travel rather than historical in many of her books. She has also written a successful cyberpunk novella. Her first book is a regular on Amazon's bestseller list for Time Travel and Metaphysical fiction.
When she isn't scouring the galaxy for inspiration with her chihuahua companion,Oggie, she can be found collecting teapots and nerding about Star Wars.
Mark Simpson
Mark Simpson is the author of Light Up the World a collection of poetry and prose to inspire new ways of being in ourselves and in the world that are based on compassion, kindness, empowerment and inclusiveness.
He is also a yoga and meditation teacher who encourages visionary leadership and transformation.
Dr Annabel Smith
Annabel Smith is the author of interactive digital novel/app The Ark, US bestseller Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, & A New Map of the Universe, which was shortlisted for the WA Premier’s Book Awards.
She is an Australia Council Creative Australia Fellow, holds a PhD in Writing & teaches for Australian Writers Centre.
Penny Sutherland
Penny Sutherland lived in Geraldton from 1940-49 and enjoyed a lifetime friendship with Randolph Stow. Penny worked as a journalist from 1961-1987 (The West Australian, Scottish Daily Mail, ABC Perth radio and television). From 1988-2013 Penny worked at various Arts Organisations and as an Ethnic Trader and is now retired.