Featured Writers

Short stories, features and poems from our writing community.

Taking control of our stories

Coverage of Indigenous and disabled writers is both sorely lacking and, largely, falsely homogenised in the current Australian literary market. This lack extends beyond the literary community and is a pervasive issue throughout all forms of mass media from television to film.

The talent is there, but access and categorisation with a focus on genre combine to exclude and limit readership of stories told by these groups. It was issues like these that were examined through discussion of two works by Indigenous writers, Tony Birch and Gayle Kennedy, during...

Inconvenient Truths

Can you tell me how being a woman writer has influenced your work?

And then, I feel it: on the women’s writing panel at every Australian festival. The momentary confusion. The invisibility. And sometimes, the anger and the grief. Mostly, I qualify the question. I’m a black woman writer, making work in Australia, for a largely white audience. Overtly political work. Most of my characters are black, and disenfranchised men and women. I can’t really think about being a woman writer, in isolation from that.

What I mean is: I don’t really understand your question. What I mean is:...

2016 Write-ability Fellowships announced

Five writers with disability will receive professional development opportunities at Writers Victoria through the fourth annual Write-ability Fellowships announced this week.

Fellowships were awarded to writers working in a range of styles and genres, including creative fiction, memoir, non-fiction and creative non-fiction.

The five fellowships have been awarded to Vincent Silk, Jessica Knight, Daniel Kraus, Kate Barry and regional writer Andrew Westle.

Young people don’t get sick

Over the last year, our Write-ability Goes Regional project has included a remit to uncover and showcase the work of some of Victoria's regional writers with disability.

Here Susan Mackenzie challenges the perception that 'Young People Don't Get Sick'.

Hunger

Photo of Kate Hood with the text "Writing is at the very heart of my creative world"

Over the last year, our Write-ability Goes Regional project has included a remit to uncover and showcase the work of some of Victoria's regional writers with disability.

Enjoy this extract from 'Hunger' by regional writer and 2013 Write-ability Fellow Kate Hood...

Write what you don't know

Over the last year, our Write-ability Goes Regional project has included a remit to uncover and showcase the work of some of Victoria's regional writers with disability.

Here regional writer Natasha Agafonoff explores the link between writing and wellness, and when the pen is mightier than the shrink...

Art mirrors life

Over the last year, our Write-ability Goes Regional project has included a remit to showcase the work of some of Victoria's regional writers with disability.

After receiving widespread acclaim for his role in the ABC production of Christos Tsiolkas' 'Barracuda', Geelong actor, writer and disability advocate Chris Van Ingen discusses how his writing has influenced his current success and why people with disability are best placed to play characters with disability...