2008: We all need a witness

The 2008 UTS Writers' Anthology, We all need a witness, was launched on Friday 23 May at the Sydney Writers' Festival.

Gleebooks launch

The 2008 UTS Writers' Anthology We All Need a Witness was introduced on 12 June at Gleebooks. There was an introduction by author Mark Mordue, and readings from the anthology.

 

Writers

In 2007 Rachel Beaney triumphed against her degree in Writing. Due to the perplexing enrolment system at UTS, she accidentally took a series of poetry courses, which resulted in a suite of poems. Currently, she writes blurbs for short films - a task she honed in order to write about herself.

Melissa Bruce has a Diploma in Directing (NIDA), a B.Ed., and is currently completing an MA in Creative Writing at UTS, where she also teaches undergraduate writing. Other work includes performance coaching, theatre directing, fiction and non-fiction writing. Her new year's resolution is to pack less - particularly on the page.

Clinton Caward's work has appeared in Quadrant, The Australian and What you do and don't want (ABC Books 2007). He's received an Australian Society of Authors Mentorship and been shortlisted for the Varuna Awards for Manuscript Development. He is currently completing a Master of Arts in Writing (Research).

Esther Dalseno has a Bachelor of Arts in Writing and Cultural Studies, and is currently teaching English in Korea.

Andy Friedhof is a bit of a talented writer. Which writer and what bit exactly he is unsure (although he is leaning towards Orwell's knees, as indeed Orwell himself often did just prior to his death from tuberculosis in 1948). He is a sensitive former UTS Engineering student from a bowl-shaped hamlet called Woolloomooloo who has had his writing published in Dave Egge's McSweeney's and also on a Hewlett-Packard printer.

Richard Gilzean is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Writing. This is the second time he has been accepted into the anthology. Every now and again he frets about when he is going to find the time to work on his novel.

Tiffany Hambley is studying for her Master of Arts in Writing at UTS.

Erica Harrison is a freelance writer, photographer, journalist and editor based in Sydney. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of NSW and is studying an Master of Arts in Screenwriting at UTS. Erica is currently working on projects in film, television and print.

Sue Hurley is a former corporate crime investigator and management consultant who is currently completing her first novel, Love at the Railway Hotel. Sue enrolled at UTS after moving to Sydney with her husband and three daughters. She loves fiction, poetry and biography, as well as football and horseracing.

Sharon Kent is completing a novel for her Master of Arts in Writing, in between playing horsey with her one-year-old and feeling bad about using disposable nappies. She thinks the best thing a prime minister has ever said is All mothers are important.

Glenn A. Kershaw was born in England and immigrated when he was ten. He's married with three kids, two dogs and a cat. He's been an electrician, an electronics technical officer; worked in IT and is now involved in business process management. Glenn writes speculative fiction, some fantasy, a little romance and stories about people. While studying at UTS he is putting together a collection of short stories.

Paradise Laycock has been fascinated by poetry since she was about nine years old. Recently she started working on a novel. She is completing a Graduate Diploma in Writing at UTS.

Sheryn Lee is a fourth-year Communications and International Studies student at UTS. She passes her time studying Asian languages and culture and spent most of the editing process in Taipei, Taiwan trying to remember what the English language sounds like.

Isabelle Li was born and educated in China and now lives and works in Sydney. She is currently studying for her Master of Arts in Writing. Her short story, The Floating Fragrance, appeared in the 2005 UTS Anthology. A Chinese Affair was first published in the 2007 UTS Anthology and later included in Best Australian Stories 2007.

When David Morris was twenty he wanted to write stories. But he thought he needed to grow up a bit, see a bit more of life. When he was thirty he wanted to write stories. But he was too busy with two young kids. When he was forty he wanted to write stories. But he was too much in love with his new wife. When he was fifty he wanted to write stories. But he was too busy with his career. Now he's sixty. He's run out of excuses.

Anne Risholm Brigg was born in Oslo, Norway. She has lived in New York and spent time in Europe and Asia before coming to Australia three years ago. She is studying Writing and Cultural Studies at UTS.

After three decades of writing feasibility studies, business plans and marketing textbooks, Peter Rix decided to try his hand at real fiction. So far the main difference he has encountered is storytelling's requirement for honesty. He intends to keep trying to bridge the gap between the truth and what the customer wants.

Sinead Roarty writes ads by day and bedtime stories at night. She is currently studying for a Master of Arts in Writing.

Jennifer Robertson's fiction has appeared in Meanjin, Griffith Review, UTS Writers' Anthology 2006, Overland, Westerly and the Best Australian Stories 2006. Her short story Paradise was adapted for broadcast on ABC Radio National. Recently, Jennifer received First Class Honours in Writing from UTS. She is in the process of publishing a collection of her short stories.

Mark Rossiter is completing a Master of Arts in Writing. He tutors in Cultural Studies and is a freelance editor and manuscript appraiser. Mark once lived in Hong Kong and ventured into KWC - before it was turned into a park.

During the day Gretchen Shirm works as a lawyer. She is also studying her Master of Arts in Writing. The rest of the time, she is trying to write a collection of interwoven short stories. She lives in Darlinghurst, which is a long way from where she came from.

Pat Skinner is studying for a Doctor of Creative Arts at UTS, and is editorial assistant of Southerly. She has published three books, Brolga, Spirit of the Rose and Bonding with Boofy, and nearly eighty short fiction pieces, and has won several national short fiction awards. She is inspired by ducks, trees, sand, Neil Young and especially ducks.

Jon Steiner grew up in Washington, D.C. He did his undergraduate studies in film, and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Writing. His work appeared in the 2007 UTS Writers' Anthology. He has lived in Texas and New York City. He currently lives in Darlington with his dog.

Born in Montreal, raised and educated in Montreal, New Orleans and Buenos Aires, Michael Tasker is completing his Master of Arts in Writing at UTS. Among other jobs, he has worked as a street musician, house painter, actor, ranchhand, fry cook, lighting operator, sculptor and snorkel guide, and is presently employed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Conrad Walters is a feature writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and is studying for a Master of Arts in Writing. He adores verbs, respects nouns and taunts adjectives just to watch them squirm. He is currently writing a novel titled Remote Control.

J.S. Woerner has one eye that sees. Phew. Like her two children, she is an asker of questions and likes knowing the names of her next-door neighbours. She is in love with her guy and laughs too loud at things that, when she thinks about them later, aren't all that funny.

Editors

Morris Bryant has completed a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at UTS. He has published work in numerous magazines and newspapers, and recently co-authored a reference book.

Thomasin Litchfield is currently completing her Master of Arts in Writing.

Last year Elizabeth Louden moved to Sydney to undertake a Master of Arts in Writing. She currently works at the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Emily Mann has worked as a television producer and subtitler. She is studying for a Master of Arts in Writing (Research) at UTS, and she is a member of the management committee of the New South Wales Writers' Centre.

Joel Naoum is completing a Graduate Diploma in Writing at UTS. He currently works as an editorial assistant at a publishing company, and is trying to finish his first novel.

Michelle Swainson is completing her third year of undergraduate Writing and Cultural Studies at UTS. In 2007 she edited Vertigo magazine, and plans to continue writing and editing in 2008.

Nicole Thomas has just completed her Graduate Diploma in Writing at UTS and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (Classics major). Currently she is patiently waiting to be plucked from obscurity into the world of publishing.

Alicia Walsh was a screenwriter and script editor for many years before deciding to take a sideways plunge into fiction. She has recently completed her Master of Arts in Writing at UTS.

Get in touch

Like us on Facebook for upcoming events, photos, fun literary news and opportunities for emerging writers. Follow us on Twitter for regular Anthology updates and news from the world of words from our network of literary friends.