Suburban Scrawl – , Tony Birch, Patricia Cornelius and Louise Swinn

Sonya Hartnett

Sonya Hartnett's work has been published around the world. She is the internationally acclaimed author of several novels read by young adults and adults alike including Thursday's Child, and . Her work has won numerous Australian and international literary prizes and her accolades include the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Of a Boy), The Age Book of the Year (Of a Boy), the Victorian Premier's Literary Award (), shortlisted for the (for Of a Boy, Butterfly and ) and the CILP Carnegie Medal (). Hartnett is also the first Australian recipient of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2008).

Tony Birch

Tony Birch is the author of the books Shadowboxing (2006), Father's Day (2009), Blood (2011), shortlisted for the Miles Franklin literary award, and The Promise (2014). His new novel, Ghost River, will be released in October 2015. Both his fiction and nonfiction has been published widely in literary magazines and anthologies in Australia and internationally. He is currently the inaugural Bruce McGuinness Research Fellow within the Moondani Balluk Centre at Victoria University.

Patricia Cornelius

Patricia Cornelius is a founding member of Melbourne Workers Theatre. She’s a playwright, novelist, film writer and dramaturge. She’s a recipient of a Fellowship from the Theatre Board of the Australia Council and the 2012 Patrick White Fellowship. She has been awarded the 2014 Victorian Premier’s drama award, 2011 Victorian and NSW Premier’s literary awards, 2006 Patrick White Playwright’s award, 2009 Richard Wherrett Prize, 2003 Wal Cherry Award, The Jill Blewitt Award and the R.E Ross Trust Award. Her plays have earned her 10 Awgies for stage, community, theatre and feature film adaptation. She has written over 25 plays, including Big Heart, Shit, Savages, Do not go gentle…, Slut, Love and The Call.

Louise Swinn

Louise Swinn is the editorial director of Sleepers. Her fiction and reviews have appeared in the Age, Overland, Meanjin, The Times Literary Supplement, Guardian, the Australian, Kill Your Darlings, and Best Australian Stories. Louise was one of the founders of the Small Press Network and is on the board of the Stella Prize.