Non-Fiction Writers

Non Fiction Author

Shanghai Acrobat: An orphan boy's inspiring true story of courage and determination in revolutionary China was published by Black Inc in Melbourne, Australia, Apollo Publishers in the USA and as an audio book by Wavesound in March and April 2021.

Jingjing Xue was a star performer with the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe after graduating from the Acrobatic School of Shanghai. He was admired as one of China’s best acrobats and, from 1961 to 1987, performed all around the world with the Shanghai Circus. He later trained circus performers with the Shanghai Circus troupe and then at the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, where he now lives.

Shanghai Acrobat tells the story of an orphan who became an international circus star and a trainer of Chinese and Australian gold-winning acrobats. Set in China from the early years of the Communist era through the turbulent period of the cultural revolution and in Australia, Shanghai Acrobat is a story of hope and perseverance, of overcoming adversity, and finding a place to belong.

The Sunday Story Club, published in July 2019 by Pan Macmillan in Australia, is a heart-warming book, including some of the stories told by participants in salons run by the authors.The book also guides the reader through the process of running their own salon, so they too can experience the life-enhancing magic of the salons.

For International rights outside of Australia and New Zealand contact Golvan Arts Management (https://www.golvanarts.com.au/contact-us)

Doris Brett is a clinical psychologist, award-winning poet and critically acclaimed memoirist. She has published seven books, ranging through a variety of genres.

Kerry Cue is the author of over 20 books and has written columns for every major Australian Newspaper. She is also a maths blogger and spoke at the International Congress of Mathematical Education in Hamburg in 2016.

Author

Barry Hill, award winning poet, non-fiction author and essayist, was short listed for the 2009 Melbourne prize for literature. Barry's latest book, Reason and Lovelessness, Essays, Encounters, Reviews 1980-2017 was published in March 2018 by Monash University Press. 

"Barry Hill’s collection of essays from the last four decades is commanding and impressive. Few could match his range of subjects: from Tagore to John Berger, Lucian Freud to Christina Stead – all, for the most part, carried off with aplomb."

~ Patrick McCaughey, Australian Book Review

Scriptwriter and Non Fiction Writer

Heather wrote Grasping at Shadows: Balfour the mining town in the Tarkine for the Circular Head Historical Society.

Heather Nimmo’s engaging book is a chain of reminiscences as well as the story of the swift rise and fall of the gallant mining field called Balfour. Of the hundreds of books on the history of our mining fields, this is the only one I know which so neatly combines these two ingredients of history and memoir.
~ Professor Geoffrey Blainey

Heather was born in the UK and immigrated to Australia with her family as a child. She grew up and attended school and university in Adelaide and before settling in Perth, lived in several isolated places around Australia through her involvement in the mining industry. She is at present living with her husband in Adelaide.

Children’s and Non Fiction Author

Alan Sunderland is married with three sons and lives in Sydney. He is a retired, award winning journalist who now consults and writes and talks about children’s books and journalism. His latest book is The Ten Rules of Reporting and he is at present working on a children's story in which the protagonists employ these rules to get help to escape the worst ever summer camp.

He won a Walkley Awards for covering an attack on the Iranian Embassy in Canberra in 1992, and for a series of exclusive reports from East Timor. He has also won the prestigious Council of the Deans of Education Award for education journalism three times in two years, which constitutes something of a record. Alan is an entertaining presenter for schools and libraries. See our Speakers section and Alan's web site at www.alansunderland.com for more information.

Alan writes children’s books for 8-12 year olds. His latest novel for young readers,  Six Seconds, was pubished in 2021 and is part of the Scholastic My Australian Story Series. Growing up by the beach in Newcastle in 1989 means footy, sandcastle competitions and school. Michael's dad's a journalist and his small world gets bigger as he starts to pay attention to the news. His interest turns into anxiety and obsession as Michael begins to see the world as a dangerous place that is fast collapsing around him. When the Berlin Wall comes down, most see it as a sign of change and freedom but Michael isn't convinced. But when an earthquake hits his home down, Michael discovers that the worst that can happen is not always as bad as your fears. 

Adult and Children’s Non-Fiction  and Fiction Author

Vicki Bennett is an author, artist, filmmaker, writing coach, and corporate trainer. She has written over 10 books and written and co-produced a documentary, Never Forget Australia. Most recently she has written a number of Picture Stroybooks introducing young readers to special stories about WWI and WWII. Vicki's latest children's book, Charlie's War, was published by Windy Hollow in October 2023. This story is based on true events and is about a young Aboriginal boy, Charlie Bird and two friends who served in WWI. Vicki has been the curator of this narrative from Des Crump, Charlie's great nephew and Charlie's daughter and grand-daughter who support this project. The Promise (2022), was launched at the 80th Anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Milne Bay. It is based on a true story about a Papua New Guinea Nurse who saved the life of an Australian Airman. The bravery of nurse Maiogaru Taulebona was recognised when she was awarded the Royal Australia Air Force Loyalty Medal.

Poet, Non-Fiction Writer

Kevin Hart was born in the UK in 1954, and grew up in London and Brisbane. He was educated at the Australian National University and the University of Melbourne. An award winning poet, he is the Jo Rae Wright University Professor in the School of Divinity at Duke University. He has written extensively on critical theory, modern poetry and eighteenth century literature. 

Kevin Hart's latest book of poetry, Barefoot, was published in 2018 by Notre Dame Press, and was selected as a finalist in Poetry in the 2018 Foreword INDIES. He is at present working on three new volumes of poetry. Recent books include Lands of Likeness: For a Poetics of Contemplation (Chicago UP, 2023), Dark Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood (Paul Dry Books, 2024) and Contemplation: The Movements of the Soul (Columbia UP, forthcoming 2024).

Adult Non-Fiction Author

Kevin Walsh (22.11.57-14.6.22) was known as a garden designer, horticulturist and writer. His latest book, published in 2017, Waterwise Plants and Gardening combined the contents of his best selling books Waterwise Gardening and Waterwise Plants. It included many colour photographs, easy to follow text and diagrams so that you can pick up handy hints, plan changes to your garden's layout, get into the finer points of setting up a tank and using grey water; as well as learn about waterwise plants suited to your gardening conditions. Kevin was a finalist in the 2006 Savewater Awards in the "Individual Action" category, for his contribution to the education of home gardeners and horticultural professionals on waterwise gardening. He had a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Horticulture) from the VCAH Burnley, as well as a Trade Certificate in Horticulture and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a major in writing.

Non-Fiction Writer

Paul Valent was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1938. He survived the Holocaust in Hungary and in 1949 he and his parents migrated to Australia. Valent studied medicine in Melbourne (1956-1962). He graduated as a psychiatrist in London in 1966. 1967-70 he worked in Israel where he researched the psychological effects of the Six Day War. Back in Australia, from 1971 to 1996 Valent worked as a consultant psychiatrist, mostly in emergency departments at Prince Henry's Hospital and Monash Medical Centre. He has also worked in private practice.

His latest work of non-fiction was published in March 2020 -  Heart of Violence: Why People Harm Each Other.

Non-Fiction Writer and Children's Author

Michele is a Melbourne based author and freelance writer whose feature articles have been published regularly in Eureka Street magazine since 2001 and also appear in the daily newspapers The Courier Mail (Brisbane), The Age (Melbourne) and The Australian (throughout Australia). She is an experienced public speaker who is booked regularly in Melbourne and Brisbane.