The Wheeler Centre Gala 2012: Stories to Believe In

Andy Griffiths is one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors. He and illustrator Terry Denton have collaborated on more than 33 bestselling books since their first title, Just Tricking, was published in 1997.In Australia, Andy and Terry’s books have sold over 10 million copies, won... Read more

Gillian Mears grew up in the northern New South Wales town of Grafton. Acclaim came early, with her short story collections and novels winning major prizes. Her books include Ride a Cock Horse (1988), Fineflour (1990), winner of a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book, The Mint Lawn ... Read more

Elliot Perlman is an award-winning writer of one short story collection and three novels. He lives in Melbourne, where he also works as a barrister. Elliot has published the novels Three Dollars (1998), Seven Types of Ambiguity (2003) and The Street Sweeper (2011), as well as the short story collect... Read more

Casey Bennetto is an award-winning writer, musician and radio broadcaster. He wrote the musical KEATING!, hosts the program Superfluity on Melbourne’s 3RRR, and has appeared in places as diverse as ABCTV’s Spicks and Specks, the Melbourne International Arts Festival and the Festival of Dangerous... Read more

Bob Franklin is a highly respected writer, actor and comedian (perhaps most recognisable from The Librarians, Stupid Stupid Men and Thank God You’re Here). He recently wrote and directed a short film called Corrections and has several other projects in pipelines. Bob’s work has been described in... Read more

Lally Katz is an award-winning Melbourne based playwright. Her play Goodbye Vaudeville Charlie Mudd premiered at Malthouse Theatre and won the Louis Esson Prize for Drama at the 2009 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Lally is a graduate of the University of Melbourne’s School of Studies in Cr... Read more

Tony Birch holds the Boisbouvier Chair in Australian Literature at Melbourne University. He is the author of three novels, five short fiction collections, and two poetry books. In 2023 he will release a new novel, Women and Children. ... Read more

Alice Pung is an award-winning Melbourne writer and journalist whose books include Unpolished Gem, Her Father’s Daughter, Laurinda, Close to Home and One Hundred Days. One Hundred Days was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. She is the editor of the anthologies Growing Up Asian in A... Read more

Kaz Cooke is a former reporter and cartoonist turned history detective. She is also the author of the bestselling books Up The Duff, Kidwrangling, Girl Stuff, Girl Stuff 8–12, Women’s Stuff, and the children’s picture books Wanda Linda Goes Berserk and The Terrible Underpants. Her new nov... Read more

Randa Abdel-Fattah is a well-known writer and scholar who is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Sociology at Macquarie University, Sydney. Her books include Islamophobia and Everyday Multiculturalism and she serves on the editorial boards of Journal of the Contempora... Read more

Carrie Tiffany was born in West Yorkshire and grew up in Western Australia. She spent her early twenties working as a park ranger in Central Australia. Her first novel, Everyman’s Rules for Scientific Living (2005), was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, the Miles Franklin Literary Award, the Guard... Read more