2026 Fellows
Siobhan Dermody
Siobhan Dermody is a writer from Alice Springs who has recently relocated to the sunny tropics of Cairns. Her love for the Red Centre, coupled with the people and the landscapes, is the beating heart of her writing.
Siobhan’s young adult manuscript, SALT, was a finalist in the 2025 Penguin Literary Prize by Penguin Random House Australia and won her a fellowship from Varuna the National Writers’ House. In 2023, My Brother Martin, a short story based on SALT, was a finalist in the Northern Territory Literary Awards. And in 2024, Siobhan was Highly Commended in the Roderick Spencer Fellowship from Varuna The National Writers’ House.
Siobhan has always wanted to tell stories that are powerful and bring a voice to marginalised communities. She grew up in an Indigenous home and her goal when writing is to tell the stories of people who can’t. Siobhan wants to tell stories that are significant and leave a meaningful impact on the wider community.
Glenda Millard
(re-scheduled from 2024)
Glenda Millard commenced writing children’s fiction in 1997 and had her first work of fiction, a picture book, published in 1999. In 2004 Glenda ceased paid employment and has been self-employed as a children’s author since then.
Glenda's published works now total 30 and include picture books, books for younger readers and novels for teenagers. Most have been published internationally as well as in Australia and have been widely acclaimed. Her most recent novel, ‘The Stars at Oktober Bend’, was shortlisted for 4 major awards including the prestigious Carnegie Medal in the UK and, in Australia, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. In 2018 Glenda's picture book ‘Pea Pod Lullaby’ won the Prime Minister’s Award for children’s literature.
Ash Harrier
Ash Harrier (she/her) is the Boorloo-based author of magical young adult and middle grade fiction, including the Alice England Mysteries for middle readers, and the Circle of Seven YA trilogy. Her books have been shortlisted for the WA Premier's, WAYBRA, Readings, Davitt and SCBWI Golden Kite awards.
Laura Greaves
Bridget Farmer
Dee White
Dee White is the award-winning author of more than 30 books for
children and teens. A strong advocate for books and literacy, she loves
spending time with young readers and writers particularly in regional,
remote and disadvantaged regions of Australia.
She’ll do almost anything for a good story, including jumping out of a
plane, touring the Paris sewers, and sneaking up on an elephant.
Lana Spasevski
Lana Spasevski is a Sydney based author of contemporary junior fiction and picture books. Her work celebrates resilience, leadership and community spirit, and is inspired by the curiosity and joy of her two young daughters, affectionately known as her book butterflies.
Lana’s debut picture book Max’s Dinosaur Feet (New Frontier Publishing, 2019), illustrated by Penelope Pratley, was featured on Play School Story Time. She followed this with Upside Down Friday (EK Books, 2021), a collaboration with illustrator Nicky Johnston, which was proudly showcased at the Sydney Writers’ Festival Family Day.
Lana is best known for the Sadie series (Affirm Press, 2023), a five book junior fiction collection including A Sprinkle of Sadie, A Spoonful of Sadie, A Swirl of Sadie, A Slice of Sadie and A Stockingful of Sadie. These titles blend warmth, humour and empowerment, and the resilient Sadie has become a firm favourite among young readers across Australia.
Outside of writing, Lana enjoys treasure hunting in bookshops and attempting messy home bakes. Her books reflect a deep commitment to joyful, values driven storytelling that helps children feel seen, inspired and included.
Kelli Hawkins
Kelli Hawkins has published four adult novels under her own name, all with HarperCollins Publishers Australia. Her first adult novel, Other People’s Houses, was released in March 2021 and debuted on the Australian best-seller list. Other People’s Houses was QBD’s Book of the Month and made the Big W/Better Reading Top 100 List for 2022. It has been translated into French. All She Wants was released in March 2022, then Apartment 303 in March 2023. Apartment 303 was shortlisted for the BAD 2024 Danger Award for crime writing and was translated into Czech. Her fourth adult novel, The Miller Women, was published in April 2024.
Kelli has published three novels for middle grade readers under the name Kelli Anne
Hawkins, all with HarperCollins Publishers Australia. In September 2021 she released The
School for Talking Pets (illustrated by Beth Harvey), which was the QBD Book of the Month. In 2022 she released Birdbrain, which was shortlisted for an ABDA Book Design Award for Cover of the Year. Copycat was released in 2023 and was shortlisted for the 24th Davitt Awards for a children’s crime novel for 2024.
Kelli also works as a report writer for a private investigator. She has previously been a
journalist, a graphic designer, a grant writer, a mystery shopper and even a staple remover. Kelli lives in Newcastle and has two adult children. She travelled extensively with her husband and has lived in Sydney and both the UK and the USA. When she’s not writing she’s reading or planning a holiday – or dreaming of one.