Sofie Laguna’s many books for young people have been published in the US, the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia. She has been shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Award, and her books have been named Honour Books and Notable Books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. After writing fiction for adults, to critical acclaim, Sofie has again released a number of books for children, including the novels, The Song of Lewis Carmichael, The Glow, and the picture books, The House on Pleasant Street, and A Friend for Ruby, all illustrated by her husband, Marc McBride.
Term 1 - Kathryn Lefroy
Kathryn writes novels, screenplays, and articles about technology for some of the world’s top brands. Her debut novel, ALEX AND THE ALPACAS SAVE THE WORLD, was shortlisted for the 2019 Premier’s Award, and the sequel, ALEX AND THE ALPACAS RIDE AGAIN, was released to critical acclaim in 2022. Her third novel will be published in late 2024. Her feature film WHALE SHARK JACK will be shot on location in Exmouth in mid-2024, and she’s developing other film and TV projects with production companies in Australia, USA, and India. She holds a BA in Art History from the University of Melbourne, a PhD in business from Monash University, and is a graduate of the UCLA Professional Screenwriting Program. She’s lived in many places around the world, including Dublin, London, Melbourne, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and not-so-secretly wishes her life was a dance movie.
Term 2 - Bren MacDibble
Bren lives in Kalbarri on the midwest coast where she runs a holiday business and writes children's novels. Her children's adventure novels have won multiple awards and have been published in several countries. Bren writes tales that explore futures affected by environmental changes and hopes her fiction gives young readers safe spaces to explore important topics. Her novels, How to Bee, The Dog Runner, Across the Risen Sea, and The Raven's Song (written with Zana Fraillon) are very popular in libraries and classrooms across Australia. Her next book The Apprentice Witnesser comes out in May 2024. Bren also writes young adult books under the name Cally Black.
Term 3 - AJ Betts
A.J. Betts is a Fremantle-based author, speaker, teacher, columnist and cyclist. Her latest work is a contemporary young-adult novel called ONE SONG, about a teenage band trying to record a song to enter into the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High competition. Her earlier books include the two-book speculative fiction series comprising HIVE and ROGUE, ZAC & MIA (which was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood television series), WAVELENGTH and SHUTTERSPEED. In 2019, A.J. was awarded a PhD on the topic of wonder (Edith Cowan University), and won the inaugural Western Australian Premier's Fellowship. A J. is originally from Queensland but has lived in Western Australia since 2004.
Term 4 - Shane McCarthy
Shane McCarthy is a freelance writer whose work has been published internationally by the likes of DC Comics, Marvel Comics and more. Over the years he has written DETECTIVE COMICS (starring Batman), BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, STAR WARS, DEADPOOL TEAM UP and TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON to name a few. Shane has been writing comics professionally for over 20 years (during which he was also an international dance instructor and performer) and presently resides in Perth, Western Australia with his wife and two gorgeous cats.
Term 1 - Brendan Ritchie
Brendan Ritchie is a novelist and academic from the south coast of WA. He is the winner of the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an unpublished manuscript and author of novels including Carousel (2015), Beyond Carousel (2016) and Eta Draconis (2023). Brendan has a PhD in Creative Writing and has also published poetry and non-fiction in several notable journals and collections. He lives on Wadandi land with his wife and two young daughters.
Term 2 - Maddie Godfrey
Dr Madison Godfrey is a writer, editor, educator, and the author of two books: Dress Rehearsals (Allen & Unwin, 2023) and How To Be Held (Burning Eye Books, 2018). Madison has performed poetry at the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral and Glastonbury Festival. Madison has a PhD in creative writing from Curtin University, where they teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses. They are a previous recipient of the Kat Muscat Fellowship, the Tom Collins Poetry Prize, the Varuna Poetry Flagship Fellowship, the Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli Fellowship and a Western Australian Youth Award for ‘Creative Contributions’ to the state. Currently Madison lives and teaches on Whadjuk Noongar land, with a rescue cat named Sylvia.
Term 3 - Jared Thomas
Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges, William and Margaret Geary Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture and Art at the South Australian Museum and the University of South Australia, and an Indigenous Literacy Foundation ambassador. He is the highly regarded author of critically acclaimed books for young adults including Sweet Guy, which was short-listed for both the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards and the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, and Calypso Summer, for which Jared was awarded the Kuril Dhagun Indigenous Writing Fellowship, and which was selected by the International Youth Library as a White Raven Book and short-listed for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Indigenous Writing. Jared is also the author of the YA novel Songs that Sound Like Blood, and the co-author of the Patty Mills series Game Day.
Term 4 - Shane McCarthy
Shane McCarthy is a freelance writer whose work has been published internationally by the likes of DC Comics, Marvel Comics and more. Over the years he has written DETECTIVE COMICS (starring Batman), BATMAN LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, STAR WARS, DEADPOOL TEAM UP and TRANSFORMERS: ALL HAIL MEGATRON to name a few. Shane has been writing comics professionally for over 20 years (during which he was also an international dance instructor and performer) and presently resides in Perth, Western Australia with his wife and two gorgeous cats.
Young Writers in the WA Regions
The WA Regions will not be missing out! Young Writers will be traveling to host schools in Albany, Busselton/Bunbury, and Geraldton. It's not too late, you can still enrol your student or child in the program for the regions.
Scroll down to read about our diverse range of presenters traveling to a host school near you.
Term 1 - Cristy Burne
Cristy Burne, AKA the STEAM Queen, is an award-winning internationally published Perth-based children’s author working on the intersection of story, science, technology and creativity. Cristy’s expertise is in making, creating, STEM and STEAM. Cristy’s books have been recognised in the WA Premier’s Book Awards, the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year, the Wilderness Society’s Environment Prize, the WA Young Reader’s Book Awards, and the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards.
Term 2 - Bren MacDibble
Bren lives in Kalbarri on the midwest coast where she runs a holiday business and writes children's novels. Her children's adventure novels have won multiple awards and have been published in several countries. Bren writes tales that explore futures affected by environmental changes and hopes her fiction gives young readers safe spaces to explore important topics. Her novels, How to Bee, The Dog Runner, Across the Risen Sea, and The Raven's Song (written with Zana Fraillon) are very popular in libraries and classrooms across Australia. Her next book The Apprentice Witnesser comes out in May 2024. Bren also writes young adult books under the name Cally Black.
Term 3 - AJ Betts
A.J. Betts is a Fremantle-based author, speaker, teacher, columnist and cyclist. Her latest work is a contemporary young-adult novel called One Song, about a teenage band trying to record a song to enter into the prestigious Triple J Unearthed High competition. Her earlier books include the two-book speculative fiction series comprising Hive and Rogue, Zac & Mia (which was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood television series), Wavelength and Shutterspeed. In 2019, A.J. was awarded a PhD on the topic of wonder (Edith Cowan University), and won the inaugural Western Australian Premier's Fellowship. AJ is originally from Queensland but has lived in Western Australia since 2004.
Term 4 - Deb Fitzpatrick
Deb Fitzpatrick writes for adults, young adults and children. Her books have been named Notable Books by the Children’s Book Council of Australia, shortlisted in the West Australian Young Readers Book Awards, published in the US, and optioned for film. Deb loves using stories from real life in her novels and regularly teaches creative writing to people of all ages. She has a Master of Arts from UWA, and shares her life with a lovely family and their kelpie, who is not a failed sheepdog.
Term 1 - Julia Lawrinson
Julia Lawrinson is a writer and presenter living on Whadjuk Noongar Boodjar (Perth, Western Australia). Julia’s first novel, Obsession, published with Fremantle Press in 2001, won the WA Premier’s Book Award for Young Adult Writing. Since then, she has published fifteen more books for children and young people, many of them award-winning. Her latest book for (very) young people is City of Light, and she will publish a memoir entitled How To Avoid A Happy Life with Fremantle Press in May 2024. Julia is an enthusiastic adult learner of Indonesian, yoga and the cello. Her favourite place on earth is the dog park.
Term 2 - Brendan Ritchie
Brendan Ritchie is a novelist and academic from the south coast of WA. He is the winner of the 2022 Dorothy Hewett Award for an unpublished manuscript and author of novels including Carousel (2015), Beyond Carousel (2016) and Eta Draconis (2023). Brendan has a PhD in Creative Writing and has also published poetry and non-fiction in several notable journals and collections. He lives on Wadandi land with his wife and two young daughters.
Chenée Marrapodi
Chenée Marrapodi is a children’s author, television journalist and podcaster. A love of storytelling led Chenée to a career in journalism, where she spends her days searching for the perfect yarn, meeting an assortment of fascinating characters along the way. She writes books about dancing, friendship, family, cultural heritage, resilience and very determined kids & teens, usually with the assistance of her ginormous Great Dane, Taco.
Term 3 - Bren MacDibble
Bren lives in Kalbarri on the midwest coast where she runs a holiday business and writes children's novels. Her children's adventure novels have won multiple awards and have been published in several countries. Bren writes tales that explore futures affected by environmental changes and hopes her fiction gives young readers safe spaces to explore important topics. Her novels, How to Bee, The Dog Runner, Across the Risen Sea, and The Raven's Song (written with Zana Fraillon) are very popular in libraries and classrooms across Australia. Her next book The Apprentice Witnesser comes out in May 2024. Bren also writes young adult books under the name Cally Black.
Term 4 - Aśka
A hugely engaging and popular presenter, Aśka is passionate about visual literacy. She has published more than ten books and graphic novels. Her recent titles include the CBCA Notable and ALIA Graphic Shortlisted YA graphic novel Stars in Their Eyes, (with Jessica Walton), which has been re-released for the US market by Scholastic in 2023. She is also a recipient of several government Arts grants, prizes, and the May Gibbs Fellowship.
Term 1 - HM Waugh
HM Waugh is a children’s author, educator and environmental scientist with a long-term love of wild places and outdoor adventures. She has been kidnapped twice, handles dragons for a job, and dreams of one day blasting into space. Her books mix humour, danger and friendship with a dash of science and imagination. Her books include the Mars Awakens duology, Evacuation Road, and The Lost Stone of SkyCity.
Term 2 - Mark Greenwood
Mark Greenwood is a history hunter. He enjoys delving into baffling mysteries, searching for lost treasures and investigating unsolved cold cases. His award-winning books include the History Mysteries series, The Legend of Lasseter’s Reef, The Happiness Box and Jandamarra. Mark often teams with his wife, illustrator Frané Lessac, to produce well-known titles such as Ned Kelly and the Green Sash, The Legend of Moondyne Joe, Simpson and His Donkey, Midnight: The story of a Light Horse, and the Our Country series: Ancient Wonders and Where History Happened. In 2024, Mark will celebrate the release of the first two books in his new History Hunter series.
Term 3 - Sarah Winifred Searle
Award-winning author Sarah Winifred Searle originally hails from spooky New England in the US and currently lives in sunny Perth. They write and illustrate comics and prose, telling stories across many genres that explore themes of identity, health, relationships, and history. Their favourite things are making graphic novels, reading too much manga, and taking walks with their husband and cat. Their books include Sincerely, Harriet, Who was the Girl Warrior of France?: Joan of Arc, The Greatest Thing, Chubby Bunny, and The Sweetness Between Us (Macmillan 2024). Honors include being shortlisted for the Outstanding Story Ignatz Award and the Slate Cartoonist Studio Prize, plus winning three silver Comic Arts Awards of Australia. The Greatest Thing was a Lammy Award finalist, as well as shortlisted for CBCA Book of the Year and the Prime Minister's Literary Awards.
Term 4 - Justin Somper
Justin Somper is best known as the author of the Vampirates books, which have been published in 35 countries and 25 languages. Justin is now based in Perth, where he is busy writing Pirate Academy – a new middle-grade series taking readers inside an elite school 500 years in the future, where a select group of kids are being trained by legendary sea captains to become the next generation of pirate heroes. Justin is a hugely engaging speaker and enjoys running creative workshops on many aspects of writing.
Find out more about Young Writers timetables, the fee and what to expect HERE