VIRGINIA PETERS is currently working on her first book, a creative non-fiction project focused on the area of crime. She is enrolled in the research program at Newcastle University. To date, her short stories have appeared in the Sleepers Almanac, New Australian Stories and UTS anthologies. Virginia lives in the Northern Rivers region with her partner and three children in a place called Coorabell, not far from Byron Bay.
MICHAEL SALA was born in the Netherlands, and emigrated to Australia twice with his family; the first time as a five-year-old, and again when he was ten. He has experimented with various careers, including law, medicine and teaching. He still really likes teaching. In 2007, he was shortlisted for The Australian/Vogel Literary Award, and also awarded a mentorship with the Australian Society of Authors. He is currently working on his first novel while completing a PhD at the University of Newcastle.
CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS is the author of four novels: The Slap, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Overall Best Book, the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal, the Booksellers’ Choice Award and the ABIA Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award; Loaded, which was made into the feature film Head-On; The Jesus Man; and Dead Europe, which won the 2006 Age Fiction Prize and the 2006 Melbourne Best Writing Award. Christos also collaborated with Sasha Soldatow on Jump Cuts and is the author of a monograph on Fred Schepisi’s The Devil’s Playground. He is also a playwright, essayist and screenwriter. He lives in Melbourne.
CHARLOTE WOOD is the editor of this collection and author of The Children, The Submerged Cathedral and Pieces of a Girl. Her novels have been shortlisted for various prizes including the Miles Franklin Literary Award and the regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. She is a proud member of PEN, the human rights group working to protect freedom of expression around the world. Charlotte has four siblings and lives in Sydney with her husband Sean.
Acknowledgements
The editor wishes to thank all the contributors to this collection, not only for their stunning writing, but their receptiveness and enthusiasm for the project. Sincere thanks also to Jane Palfreyman for suggesting the book, to Jenny Darling and Donica Bettanin, to editors Ali Lavau, Siobhán Cantrill and Clara Finlay, to Andy Palmer and Felicity McLean, and to Gayna Murphy.
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