Presenters

LitFest23 Presenters

Deb Abela

Deb Abela is a young adult fiction and picture book author who has also written and produced for children’s television. Her works include the Max Remy: Superspy series, the Jasper Zammit series, Ghost Club, the Grimsdon trilogy, and her latest novel The Book of Wondrous Possibilities.

Deb will be working exclusively with our Wyvern and Lindfield campuses.

Nat Amoore

Nat Amoore is a children’s fiction author who has also written and edited for television. Her works include Secrets of a Schoolyard Millionaire, The Power of Positive Pranking, The Right Way to Rock, and her latest graphic novel We Run Tomorrow.

Nat will be working exclusively with our Wyvern and Lindfield campuses.

Rawah Arja

Rawah Arja is a young adult fiction author whose work has been featured at a number of writers festivals. She is also a teacher and hosts writing workshops both online and in the classroom. Her first published novel is The F Team.

Tristan Bancks

Tristan Bancks is an accomplished children’s and young adult author. His works include the children’s series, My Life and Other Stuff I Made Up and Nit Boy; plus stand alone novels, Mac Slater Coolhunter, Galactic Adventures: First Kids in Space, Two Wolves, and his latest novel Cop and Robber.

Tristan’s book Ginger Meggs continues the adventures of the titular character originally created by his great-uncle, Jimmy Bancks.

J. C. Burke

J. C. Burke is a young adult fiction writer. She has written a number of novels including The Things We Promise, Pretty Girl, Pig Boy, Ocean Pearl, The Story of Tom Brennan and The Red Cardigan.

Michael Carayannis

Michael Carayannis is a sports journalist with more than a decade of experience who has covered the NRL for both The Daily Telgraph and The Sunday Telegraph. Michael will be the Editor-in-Chief of LitFest’s PostScript publication and will be mentoring the budding journalists and photographers of the team.

Michael graduated from Newington College in 2004.

Martin Chatterton

Martin Chatterton is a renowed young adult and children’s author and illustrator who also writes adult crime fiction and for television as Ed Chatterton. He has written and illustrated a number of works including the Mort and The Brain series, the YA standalone novel The Tell, and the picture book Winter of the White Bear. His latest novel is Scorpion Falls.

Wai Chim

Wai Chim is a children’s and young adult author whose works include Freedom Swimmer, the Chook Chook series, and a number of short stories. Her latest novel is The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling.

Gregg Dreise

Gregg Dreise is a children’s author and illustrator who has created a number of picture books for pre-school and school-aged children. His works include Cunning Crow, Silly Birds, Kookoo Kookaburra, Mad Magpie and My Culture and Me.

Gregg will be working exclusively with our Wyvern and Lindfield campuses.

Kirsty Eagar

Kirsty Eagar is a young adult novelist and surfer whose works include Raw Blue, Saltwater Vampires, Night Beach and Summer Skin. She is currently adapting Raw Blue for film.

Scot Gardner

Scot Gardner is a young adult fiction writer. He has published a number of works including The Dead I Know, The Detachable Boy, The Legend of Kevin the Plumber, The Way We Roll, and Sparrow. His latest novel is Off the Map.

Susanne Gervay

Susanne Gervay is a young adult and children’s author. She has published a number of works including Butterflies, The Cave, Ships in a Field, That’s Why I Wrote This Song, and her coming of age series beginning with I Am Jack. Her latest novel is The Edge of Limits.

Tim Harris

Tim Harris is a children’s short story author and songwriter who specialises in writing short stories for children and reluctant readers. He is the author of the Toffle Towers and Mr Bambuckles series, as well as the Exploding Endings short stories series.

Tim will be working exclusively with our Wyvern and Lindfield campuses.

James Knight

James Knight is a non-fiction writer who has worked previously as a print journalist, sports news reporter, and radio broadcaster. He specialises in writing biographies, true stories, and memoirs. Some of his works include Henry and Banjo, Under the Same Sky, and Back on Track. He is currently working on a picture book.

Will Kostakis

Will Kostakis is a young adult author and newspaper columnist. He has published a number of works including Loathing Lola, The First Third, Stuff Happens: Sean, The Sidekicks, and The Greatest Hit, and has also contributed to the #LoveOZYA anthology, Begin, End, Begin. His latest novel, We Could Be Something, will be released this year.

Will graduated from Newington College in 2006.

Ari Lander

Dr Jonathan Ari Lander is the Co-Founder of Kumva and Kwibuka: Listen and Remember. He worked for seven years as an education officer at the Sydney Jewish Museum and has also worked as Education Manager for Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation where he worked closely with Stolen Generation survivors.

He considers sharing the stories of survivors through Kumva and Kwibuka an honour and a privilege.

John Larkin

John Larkin is a children’s and young adult author. His published works include Goon Town, Horse Girl Rides Again, Spaghetti Legs, Pizza Features, Ghost Byte, Growing Payne, Lasagne Brain and Nostradamus and Instant Noodles, as well as the Western Wildcats children’s series. His latest novels include The Shadow Girl and The Pause.

Matthew Lin

Matthew Lin is an illustrator, designer, graphic novel and manga artist who runs workshops all over New South Wales. He creates his work both through digital media – with a drawing tablet and Adobe Photoshop – and traditional methods – Copic markers, pencils and paper. He works largely with children and young adults, helping them release their creativity and imagination through graphical arts.

Gary Lonesborough

Gary Lonesborough is a young adult author who has worked in film production as well as the disability and justice sectors. His first published novel is The Boy From the Mish.

Mandy Ord

Mandy Ord is a cartoonist, illustrator, and childrens’ author. She has contributed to publications such as Meanjin and The Age, and her illustrated books have been shortlisted for a number of awards. Her illustrated childrens books include Chalk Boy and When One Person Dies The World Is Over. Her latest illiustrated work is Bulk Nuts.

Oliver Phommavanh

Oliver Phommavanh is a children’s author and stand-up comedian with a passion for making people laugh and engaging children and young adults with literature. His works include the children’s novels Stuff Happens: Ethan, Punchlines, Thai-no-mite, Con-nerd, and Natural Born Loser. His latest novel is What About Thao?

Christopher Richardson

Dr Christopher Richardson is an academic, researcher and young adult fiction author who has written six non-fiction picture books. His interest in the children’s culture in the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK) was the topic of his PhD thesis.

Mark Smith

Mark Smith is a young adult fiction writer whose stories merge his love of the outdoors, his experiences as a teacher, and the message of personal strength and resilience. His works inckude the Winter Trilogy, as well as a number of short stories published in anthology collections. His latest novel is If Not Us.

Matthew Spencer

Matthew Spencer is a fiction author and former journalist who has worked for and published articles with a number of Australian newspapers. His first published novel is Black River.

Kate & Jol Temple

Kate and Jol Temple are a husband-and-wife duo who, in their own words, “write silly books for kids!”. Some of their picture books include Bin Chicken, Are You My Bottom?, I Got This Hat, and Parrot Carrot. Their most recent picture book is Bin Chicken’s Eggcelent Easter.
Kate and Jol will be working exclusively with our Wyvern, Lindfield and ELC campuses.

Sue Whiting

Sue Whiting is a children’s and young adult fiction writer. She has written a variety of picture books, including Good Question: A Tale Told Backwards, A Strange Little Monster, and Looking for Animals. She has also written junior fiction, including titles such as The Hairy Legs Heist, Get a Grip, Cooper Jones, Missing, and The Book of Chance. Her latest novel is Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan.

Sue will be working exclusively with our Wyvern and Lindfield campuses.

Jon Rex Williams

Jon Rex Williams is an actor and theatre professional. He has performed in a number of shows at both the Melbourne and Sydeny Comedy Festival and has appeared in television shows aired on the ABC and Network 10.