Kathleen Allen

Kathleen Allen is the manager of the Writers’ Studio. She has worked as a professional actress, taught English and travelled the world as the Australian marketing manager for an international group of language schools. She has attended and participated in numerous international writing retreats and conferences. Kathleen runs the 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft Live Studio course with Roland & Richard.

Richard Cornally

Richard Cornally is an actor, a director, a producer, a teacher and a writer. He loves a good story in all its forms and takes special pleasure in helping a writer find the best possible expression of the themes and character journey they want to explore. Having studied at ATYP as a youngster, Richard went on to graduate from the Actors’ Studio Australia. He was offered a teaching position shortly after, and he has been teaching acting, directing and storytelling ever since. Since 2013 his company, Sure Foot Productions has mounted two successful independent theatre productions to full houses and rave reviews. These days Richard shares his time between his role as a Senior tutor at the Writers’ Studio, his work as a communication and leadership coach and continuing to develop his own writing and acting projects.

Kelly Rigby

Kelly Rigby is a freelance editor and coach who is passionate about helping writers tell their stories and polish their words. Over the past 20 years she has developed a unique combination of writing, marketing and teaching experience, and holds qualifications in creative writing (UTS), business and TESOL. Kelly has edited and assessed manuscripts from most genres, and mentored writers at all levels of ability, including two who went on to win Varuna Fellowships. She has also written two short films and numerous short stories, and been published in a Louise Hay book – Modern Day Miracles, as well as on the web. Kelly first came to the Writers Studio in 2004, where she completed the Unlocking Creativity, First and Second Draft courses and discovered she had a natural instinct for story structure. Since then, she has continued to study writing and hone her craft, and is at the final edit stage of her first book in a new urban fantasy series. Kelly works as an editor/tutor in our Third Draft Part One & Third Draft Part Two courses.

Annette Higgs

Annette Higgs is a writer living in Sydney, Australia. She was born and grew up in Tasmania, leaving on her 18th birthday to study literature and law at the Australian National University in Canberra. She has lived, worked and studied in Sydney, London and Italy, and holds a Doctor of Arts from the University of Sydney. A Pushcart nominee, her short work has appeared in literary journals and anthologies in Australia, the USA, the UK and India. Her novel, On a Bright Hillside in Paradise won the 2022 Penguin Literary Prize and was published by Penguin in 2023. Annette tutors our Novel & Script Third Draft courses.

Zahid Gamieldien

Zahid Gamieldien is an author, editor, screenwriter and senior tutor at the Writers’ Studio. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a major in writing. His fiction has appeared in literary publications including Overland, Meanjin, Kill Your Darlings, ‘shorts’ by Platypus Press, Island Magazine and the ‘best of’ 40 Years of the UTS Writers’ Anthology. His screenwriting has been listed for prizes such the Australian Writers’ Guild’s John Hinde Award and the AMC One-Hour Pilot Award. His debut novel, All The Missing Children by Ultimo Press was supported with a Varuna House residency and a major arts grant from Create NSW. As an editor and tutor, Zahid has helped writers of all levels of experience to develop their craft and get their work published or produced. Zahid currently tutors the Novel & Script Third Draft Live courses.

Mary-Anne Gifford

Mary-Anne is a director, writer, dramaturg and teacher. She has directed over forty theatre productions and has been the Artistic Director of Railway Street Theatre Company, Centre Director of Australian National Playwrights’ Centre and Manager of Part-time Courses and Open Program Productions for NIDA. Mary-Anne has worked as a lecturer and tutor at NIDA and UNSW. She currently tutors part-time studio courses at NIDA, tutors for the Writers’ Studio and Directors Studio, Writing for Performance and Write Here, Write Now!

She has written plays for Railway Street Theatre Company, NIDA, Bell Shakespeare Company and Sydney Theatre Company. Her play, Something More Than Night, was short-listed for the 2013 Patrick White Playwrights’ Award. Mary-Anne has a BA with first class Honours from UNSW, a Graduate Dip. of Dramatic Art in Directing (NIDA), a Graduate Dip. of Dramatic Art in Writing for Performance (NIDA) and in 2020, she completed her PhD at UNSW, with a specialisation in creative practice. Her latest full-length play, Ferocious was part of the creative practice of the doctorate.

Mary-Anne is currently writing the third draft of her first novel, and tutors Unlocking Creativity.

Nicholas Lathouris

Nicholas Lathouris has enjoyed a long and successful career as an actor, director, script editor, and dramaturge contributing to more than 300 screen hours of popular, award-winning Australian film and television.First involved with the Writers’ Studio in 2003, while screenwriting at Kennedy Miller Mitchell, his on-going collaboration with George Miller as both screenwriter and dramaturge on the ‘Mad Max Suite’ explored its world across an array of media, including two feature film prequels, video game and graphic novel. Mad Max: Fury Road has been nominated for numerous awards around the world including Best Original Screenplay.Nico’s career encompasses directing and producing for theatre, film and television, cinematography, film editing and acting. As an actor, Lathouris was nominated for two Australian Film Institute Awards. His numerous credits as a Dramaturge include Heartbreak High, Wildside, Blue Murder, Looking for Alibrandi, Yolgnu Boy, Head Start, and Young Lions.

Liz Stevens

Born in Sydney, Liz spent her early life living and working in New Zealand. Liz has always been interested in imagination and the craft of storytelling. She has produced a feature film, a collection of documentary shorts and is currently finishing the fourth draft of her novel at the Writers’ Studio. Until recently, Liz ran the documentary unit at Screen Australia, the federal government screen agency, a position she held for 10 years. She supported the development and production of over 1,000 hours of documentaries, travelled extensively, led an enthusiastic team and was a member of the senior leadership group. Liz is a problem solver and a great creative collaborator. With a background as an independent producer, Liz has worked in story development, film finance, production, marketing and distribution in both documentary and drama. Liz tutors in Live & Online Novel & Script courses.

Nick Bowie-Johnson

Nick is an editor, writer and writing coach. He loves reading stories that play with ideas of genre, structure, and form. Nick has degrees in Linguistics (Macquarie University), Creative Writing (University of Sydney) and English Studies (University of Sydney). He has worked in professional communications, business writing, adult teaching and learning – with a focus on online learning experience and design. Nick is currently finalising his first novel, and tutors Unlocking Creativity and Novel & Script Online courses. You can find his published short work at Sans. Press

Ruth Fingret

In 2013, Ruth received two commissions for full length plays for Future Classic Theatre. In 2017, her play Asylum was produced by Brave New Word Theatre Company to critical acclaim. Her commissioned play, Dismissed raised over $50,000 for Lou’s Place, a refuge for homeless women. She has directed musicals (Margaret Fulton the Musical, and Motherhood the Musical), full length plays (Arthur’s Place, The Naked Truth and The Stoned Ape), and written and directed dozens of short plays. Her works have been finalists in Short + Sweet eight times. She is currently working on a full length play, a television sitcom and a screenplay. A freelance director, writer for hire, dramaturg and the volunteer Chair for Actors Anonymous (a non-profit that assists writers stage new work). Ruth tutors First Draft Online.

Aaron Glenane

Aaron is of Australia’s most versatile actors and has worked extensively across screen and stage. His television credits include recent work on Apple TV’s Shantaram. Other highlights include Paramount’s 68 Whiskey, and Snowpiercer, The Claremont Murders, Home and Away, Mr Inbetween, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Deadline Gallipoli. In Feature Films, Aaron was heralded for his performance as Chook in the critically acclaimed Sundance Film Festival’s Killing Ground and has had major roles in Netflix’s Interceptor, 2067, Danger Close, Ride Like a Girl, Drift. Aaron is also an accomplished stage actor, dancer, producer and storyteller. He recently produced and starred in the critically acclaimed King James at The Old Fitz Theatre and wrote and starred in the short film AstroNots which has been a critical success on the festival circuit in Australia and internationally. Aaron is currently working on the third draft of his novel, and tutors First Draft Online.

Emma Lord

Emma is an award-winning copywriter and advertising creative. She’s spent the past decade working in Australia and abroad, writing TV ads featuring everything from exploding nappies to talking potato chips and trained Huntsman spiders (not all at once, thankfully). She’s written for various publications, including the Sydney Morning Herald and Huffington Post. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and Theology from the University of Sydney. She grew up with two older brothers who force-fed her a steady diet of dystopian sci-fi and Bruce Lee films, and it’s had an undeniable influence on her fiction writing decades later. Emma’s debut novel, Anomaly is published by Affirm Press. Emma tutors Unlocking Creativity, Short Story and First Draft Online courses.

Michelle Davenport

Michelle has a passion for writing and a strong history of helping others to develop their love of the craft of writing. With a BA Dip Ed from the University of NSW, she has worked in the NSW public school system as an English teacher, professional development officer, literacy consultant and in school leadership. In 2018, she decided to devote more time to her own writing and enrolled in a creative writing program at Oxford University. On its completion, Michelle enrolled at the Writers’ Studio. She is currently working on the third draft of an historical fiction novel. Michelle tutors First Draft Online course.

Christine Westwood

Christine has a background in visual arts, a PhD in History, and worked as a magazine Photo Editor for The Australian newspaper for over 20 years. She is a regular film reviewer for Filmink and an accredited journalist at various film festivals including the Sundance and Sydney Festivals. She has studied screen writing and story structure with Billie Stoneking and Robert McKee and is the author of a four-book YA fantasy series, and a self-published historical adventure novel. Christine is fascinated by how story structure underpins everything, as part of our human DNA. Christine tutors Unlocking Creativity, Short Story and First Draft Online courses.

Alyssa Partington

Alyssa Partington is a podcast producer with ARN’s iHeart Australia, a supervising producer for FBi Radio’s All the Best and a creative writing tutor for the Writer’s Studio. She was awarded a bronze Rising Star of the Year in New Zealand’s Podcast awards in 2022, and a series she wrote and produced, Our Forgotten Epidemic, has been nominated for multiple awards. She’s passionate about storytelling in all forms but is particularly interested in narrative nonfiction and fiction. She currently produces weekly shows for Yumi Stynes and Amanda Keller and is working on a fantasy novel. Alyssa tutors Unlocking Creativity & First Draft Online courses.

Annika Johansson

Annika is a freelance writer, and alumna and tutor of the Writers’ Studio. Annika holds a Bachelor of Business Communications (Marketing and Advertising) which took her around the world creating wacky and whimsical scenarios for TV and print. Her short stories have won competitions and been published in anthologies. Annika’s debut novel, Downstream was published in 2024.

Dave Durbin

Kate Matcham

Kate has a degree in Psychology and has always had a keen interest in the human experience and the power of storytelling for connection, learning, change, and transformation. In her ten-year career delivering organisational change, Kate put her communication skills to use helping people envision a different future. Kate is currently working on the third draft of her fiction novel based on her own personal transformation and is currently undertaking a Masters in Counselling & Psychotherapy to support others on a similar journey. Kate tutors Unlocking Creativity and our First Draft Online course.

Joey Hespe

Joey has a Bachelor of Art Theory and has worked for commercial galleries, auction houses, artists and institutions, and as a freelance writer and copywriter. She has written catalogue essays and contributed to editorials and her work has been included in arts publications and online journals. Joey began her creative writing journey at the Writers’ Studio in 2019. Joey tutors First Draft Online course.

Fiona Rose

Fiona Rose has had careers in Architecture & E-Commerce. They are married with two children & are passionate about the importance of creativity in our lives. Fiona’s short stories have appeared in Australian & international sci-fi and fantasy zines, and a professional anthology. A finalist in an international genre competition, Fiona has also participated in two first prize-winning collaborative writing projects for an Australian charity. Fiona tutors Unlocking Creativity and our Short Story Online courses.

Yasmin Khan

Yasmin Khan is a full time mum, freelance writer and blogger about all things parenting related under the pseudonym Lylabellefleur. She has been with the Writers’ Studio since 2008 and is currently completing her novel, a tale of love and loss set against the backdrop of the 1971 Liberation War in what is now Bangladesh. Yasmin tutors our Unlocking Creativity and Short Story courses.

Tim Mahony

Tim has been writing for most of his life. He makes his living in corporate affairs, having arrived there via politics and government. Whatever the role, writing has been at its core. His love of creative writing started in primary and high school and since then he has tip-toed around it, dipping a toe in every now and then, until he discovered the Writers’ Studio Unlocking Creativity course. He is now up to his neck in it, working on the third draft of his first novel. Tim tutors First Draft Online.

Emily Beale

Emily has owned ‘theatre in education’ company Nudge Theatre for ten years, performing programs to nearly 200,000 students. She also writes, directs and produces motivational performances for teenage girls, and is also a Yoga teacher. Emily understands the power of words. Storytelling is her passion, and teaching others how to access their imaginations is her absolute joy. Emily tutors First & Second Draft Online courses.

Rowena Robinson

Rowena was an elite US college gymnast whilst undertaking her B.Sc in Human Movement and Community Health at Southern Illinois University. She then taught in NSW high schools for 33 years and represented NSW at indoor volleyball for an unprecedented 15 years. Mother of 3 and grandmother of 6, Rowena is a studio artist and loves creating images in oils, as well as running her natural therapies clinic. Rowena has participated in 3 group publishing projects before coming to the Writers’ Studio, where she is currently working on the third draft of her memoir.

Janelle Whale

As a lawyer, Janelle hails from the storytelling tradition of criminal law, digging deep into the stories of her clients and telling those stories to the Court in a way that has real impact. Before starting writing her own novel and tutoring, Janelle felt that few experiences could top the moment when a jury came back into a courtroom with a verdict, but she has found listening at the feet of those who come from other storytelling backgrounds and exploring her own stories to be equally thrilling and rewarding. Janelle tutors Unlocking Creativity Online.

Neasa Nic Dhómhnaill

Neasa is a psychotherapist and author who has published a self-help book, Don’t Tell Me To Get Over It, as well as short stories in fantasy anthologies. She has journeyed with The Writers’ Studio mastering skills in plotting and character development, and is currently completing her master’s degree at the Yeats Academy in Ireland. She founded the Intricate Worlds Speculative Fiction Critique Group in Brisbane to encourage emerging writers to gain confidence and skills. Her passion is historical fantasy based on Gaelic history and mythology, and epic fantasy. Neasa believes that being flexible, and stepping in and out of the creative mindset and the analytical mindset, is the key to ‘carving’ out a successful polished manuscript.

Andrew Blanch

Andrew Blanch is a senior tutor for the Novel & Script courses and Short Story courses. Andrew has been tutoring with Writers’ Studio for more than a decade and is passionate about helping new writers access their creativity.

Mez (Maryann) Lyndon

Mez began creating worlds, characters, and stories as a child and pursued a career as a creative in the fashion industry, starting her own label specialising in custom bridal and formal wear. After nearly two decades in fashion, Mez decided to study writing, her first love and  began her journey with The Writers’ Studio. Mez delights in the creativity that’s unleashed by a solid understanding of story structure and has a passion for helping other writers develop the skills to uncover their own stories in their own way. Mez writes fantasy, drama, and romance, and tutors Novel & Script First Draft online.

Leone Joy

Leone has always been an avid reader of fiction, which gave her a love of words and made her mindful of their power to make a difference. Diverted into the corporate world & then public sector, Leone found her ability to use words to communicate successfully with audiences, was both rewarded and sought after. At a turning point in her life in 2018, Leone discovered the Writers’ Studio and rekindled her passion for writing fiction and is now working on the third draft of her fantasy novel. Leone tutors Unlocking Creativity & our Second Online courses.

Kitty Hopwood

Kitty Hopwood is an eclectic creative and lover of stories. Through her experiences in various creative roles – actor, producer, first assistant director, theatre reviewer, director, interviewer and video editor – Kitty has developed a deep appreciation for the stories that live within each person, and has a passion for encouraging writers to ‘tell it authentically’. Kitty fiercely believes in the power of story to change lives, to shape our understanding of the world and create a meaningful impact. Kitty tutors Unlocking Creativity.

Ray Coyne

Ray has spent many happy decades in the corporate landscape, including mentoring colleagues in personal and professional development, and delivering training workshops. An avid reader, Ray’s passion is History, particularly Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman. After undertaking Writer’s Studio courses, Ray has had three comic short plays performed, including at the 2024 Short & Sweet Theatre Festival, and is currently focused on developing a supermarket-themed sitcom. Ray tutors Unlocking Creativity Online and loves seeing people discover their writing passion!

Helen Robertson

Helen has worked with those who make the law and with those who break the law, first in the world of federal politics and then as a literacy teacher inside Long Bay Correctional Complex. She has a BA in Professional Writing from the University of Canberra, where she was awarded the Allen & Unwin Prize for Writing for Young People, a Graduate Diploma in Literacy and Numeracy from UTS and is an alumni of the Writers’ Studio. Helen tutors in the Novel & Script First Draft Online course and our Short Story Online courses.

Elise Hawthorne

Annie Coleman

Growing up in the bush, Annie’s childhood was rich with adventure and filled with stories and characters from all walks of life. Her love of reading, writing and storytelling developed at a very young age, as did her dream to “write a book one day”. Her career path instead led her to economics, marketing & finance. Annie finally decided to pursue her goal of writing fiction. She currently owns & operates an antiques and ‘clever creations’ business in a country town, and is working on the Third Draft of her novel. Annie wants to inspire others in their own writing journeys, she tutors our Unlocking Creativity, Short Story & First Draft Online courses.

Philippa Hayes

Philippa grew up travelling around Australia in a white Holden with vinyl seats and no air-conditioning. Distance was measured by books read – Canberra to Alice Springs was an 8-book trip. With over 25-years’ experience as a Town Planner in Australia and overseas, Philippa has written and edited countless technical reports, and runs her own consultancy. She is currently finishing her novel and tutoring Unlocking Creativity, and feels she is finally back on the road again.

Sarah Brandon

Originally from New York, Sarah has spent almost a decade living in Australia working as a copywriter, editor and digital publisher. She spent most of her life writing stories, but could never work up the courage to share her writing with others. In 2020, she took a chance on Unlocking Creativity and learned how powerful it is to share your writing and what a gift the feedback of other writers can be. She’s currently working on the third draft of a YA fantasy novel and tutors the Unlocking Creativity Online and First Draft Online courses.

Aylish Dowsett

Aylish is a creative writing graduate from Macquarie University and is currently undertaking her Masters in Creative Writing at the University of Sydney. Aylish works at the Writers’ Studio creating our Instagram content and tutors Unlocking Creativity Online. Originally from the UK, Aylish is a writer of fantasy fiction, but loves to experiment across all genres and forms. Her short stories and articles have been published in The Quarry and Grapeshot, amongst others. She loves all things weird and British.

Ros Millar

Ros has been passionate about stories since she first picked up a book – she thinks it was The Magic Faraway Tree. She then developed a love of writing and the power of words whilst studying literature at the University of Melbourne. Fate intervened and her creative career was derailed as she raised her family whilst undertaking a career in Nursing. While not offering much opportunity to pursue her passion, Nursing provided a lifetime of stories and a keen insight into people and what makes them tick. Ros is now indulging her first love; writing her novel and tutoring Unlocking Creativity and First Draft Online course.

Helen Shorrocks

Helen’s professional career spans a number of fields including legal, political and academia. She has been passionate about creative writing and the storytelling process from a very young age and in 2016 was awarded first place in the Aspiring Writers Category at the Children’s and Young Adult Literary Conference. Helen is currently working on the third draft of her latest manuscript. Helen tutors the 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft Online course.

Owen Ravenscroft

Owen Ravenscroft’s debut novel ‘Sink or Swim won a Highly Commended at the FAW National Literary Awards, Christina Stead Award, 2013. He is now working on his third novel. He is a father of two who lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Owen tutors the Unlocking Creativity Online course. Rest in Peace, dearest Owen, we will always miss you.

Jess Black

Jess Black has written 12 books, acted and directed in theatre and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film with Honours in Theatre Directing. She worked in television for drama producer John Edwards as a trainee script editor on the drama series Head Start. While working in the script department, she realised she wanted to write books. She completed Unlocking Creativity and the First and Second Draft courses with The Writers’ Studio. She worked at Random House as a writer on The Bindi Wildlife Adventure Series, a fictional series about helping endangered animals around the world. Then worked on the RSCPA Animal Tales series and wrote three books. Most recently she completed two books for an older Bindi series called Bindi Behind the Scenes. Jess does author talks in schools, writes for several publications and is currently working on a new children’s book. Jess tutors writers in our Novel & Script courses.

Graeme Woodrow

Graeme has had a lifelong career in science and is keen to tell stories about the passion and adventure of being a scientist. A former research director and CEO in both the private and public sectors, he believes the best way to communicate science is through storytelling and is currently on the third draft of his first major story. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.

Denise Imwold

Denise Imwold is a writer and editor who also worked for many years as a bookseller. She earned a BA in English literature and a Postgraduate Diploma in Editing and Publishing from Macquarie University, Sydney. Denise has contributed to a wide range of publications in fields such as arts and entertainment, history, travel, sport, gardening, health and spirituality. Her books include Cut!—Hollywood Murders, Accidents,and Other Tragedies (2005); 501 Must-Read Books (2006); Historica’s Women (2007) and Musica (2009). She completed her first novel through the mentorship of the Writers’ Studio and has tutored our writers in the Online Unlocking Creativity and Short Story courses since 2008.

Melissa McMaugh

Melissa has a professional background in the corporate property world, but has always dreamt of being a writer. Discovering the Writers’ Studio, Melissa undertook every course and has now completed the third draft of her debut novel. Melissa tutors the Unlocking Creativity Online course and delights in helping others switch on their creative light! When not writing, Melissa is an avid reader, and practices Tai Chi and meditation.

Ingrid Studholme

Ingrid is currently undertaking the Third Draft Novel and Scriptwriting course and has found the creative writing process to be a fascinating way of exploring the edges of our meaning making. Creative writing, meditation and the ocean have all been companions on her journey. Ingrid works as an executive coach and facilitator for clients operating in corporate, education, health, community and social enterprise sectors. She has a Master of Coaching Psychology and continues her learning journey around adult development, mindfulness and social enterprise. In her downtime, Ingrid can usually be found with her young family in or near the ocean.

Erin Coyle

Erin has always loved to tell a story and from a very young age she loved exploring the world through words. When she moved to Sydney, from Ireland, four years ago, she began studying at the Writers’ Studio to pursue her dream of writing a book. Erin has worked in Public Relations and Marketing for both corporate and not-for-profit organisations. She also works as a bookseller and loves nothing more than talking plot structure and character arcs over a hot cuppa. She is currently in the process of writing the 3rd draft of her first young adults novel.

Geraldine Borella

Geraldine had a 20-year career as a pharmacist where she owned a successful business & worked in the hospital sector and as a consultant. Married with two teenage boys, she also lives with a yappy Tibetan spaniel and a wolf-whistling rainbow lorikeet. Since selling her business she’s been focussing on her lifelong love of creative writing. After starting at the Writers’ Studio, she’s had several short stories published, in literary magazine Page Seventeen, and in the Short and Twisted Anthology published by Celapene Press. Geraldine placed second in the Scribes Writers Competition. She dabbles in song writing, sings and is currently working on a young adult novel. Infected by the writing bug, Geraldine hopes to spread it to as many people as possible, by tutoring the Unlocking Creativity & First Draft Online courses.

Jenny Fisher

After three decades managing teams in local government, health and small business, Jenny is now working as a freelancer in creative pursuits. She is relishing her change of direction exploring photography, website design and copywriting. Currently studying Group Work using Expressive Arts, she aims to combine her love of consulting and facilitating groups with the creative arts. Jenny tutors Unlocking Creativity Online.

Clare Gillis

Clare has worked in the field of communications since 2001. She holds a degree in English literature & communications. She has also completed a structural editing program in 2018. An alumni of the Writers’ Studio, Clare tutors in the Novel & Script program. She also reads ferociously and has a passion for film, and really good television.

Jim Holt

As an actor Jim Holt is no stranger to storytelling and celebrates his 40th year as a professional actor. He’s writing a novel about his adventures in Moscow and is enjoying creating fiction and bending the truth. Jim is a senior tutor in our Unlocking Creativity Online courses.

Anna Kounis

Anna Kounis works in a small dedicated marketing team at NewSouth Books and Publishing. She has been writing for more than ten years and having almost completed the Fourth Draft Course is on her way to finishing her first novel. Anna is passionate about the character journey and believes adversity is one of our greatest teachers. With this in mind, she takes great pleasure in exploring the opportunities for personal growth in characters under pressure. She has a diploma in teaching and tutors in the 10-Month Novel & Script First Draft Online course.

Wallace Lee

Wallace comes from writing plays to writing novels. He completed an Arts Degree in Theatre Studies at UNSW and the Playwright Studio at NIDA. His plays have been performed at the Belvoir St Theatre. After a successful career managing projects in large corporate and government organisations, Wallace began with the Writers Studio in 2011. In 2014, he completed the 4th Draft Course and is currently finishing his first novel. Wallace hopes to bring his story telling passion and experience to help other writers develop their work.

Louise Goggin

Louise Goggin loves language and the ability of lines scribbled on paper to make us laugh, cry, and want to be a better person. She began studying with the Writers’ Studio in 2009, and will soon finish her first novel. Louise has worked in science communication for 15 years, publishing science stories in science magazines and journals. She tutors in the 10 Month Novel and Script First Draft Online course.

Emma Kirby

Emma Kirby first started writing poems and short stories at eight years old. She started studying at The Writer’s Studio over four years ago and is currently finishing her first novel. As well as writing, Emma has over 17 years experience in marketing, specialising in the arts and music and she runs her own marketing business. Emma works part-time as a Professional Development Co-ordinator for the Australian Society of Authors. She is also a visual artist and loves drawing portraits of people and animals. Emma tutors our writers in Unlocking Creativity Online and the Intermediate Short Story courses.

Shelley Kenigsberg

Shelley has worked in-house with Harper Collins, Harcourt Brace, John Wiley, Macquarie University and has been Head of Macleay College’s Editing Diploma for the past 21 years.