Hazel Edwards
About
Best known for There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake, Hazel Edwards writes across media, for adults and children. She is currently writing her autobiography.
In 2013, she was awarded an OAM for Literature. As a national literary ambassador, Hazel supports various reading organisations. She mentors ‘Hazelnuts’ and is a director on the Australian Society of Authors’ board. She is the recipient of the 2009 ASA Medal awarded by her writing peers.
Hazel has been nominated three times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is the world’s largest prize for children’s and young adult literature.
Based on her Writing a Non Boring Family History, Hazel runs workshops for genealogists. Her junior history books include Sir Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop, Professor Fred Hollows and Edith Cowan; A Quiet Woman of Note in the Aussie Heroes series.
Apart from going on an Antarctic expedition in 2001, she has co-written adventure memoirs including Trail Magic; Going Walkabout for 2184 Miles on the Appalachian Trail with her son Trevelyan Quest Edwards, originator of the hippo concept. Difficult Personalities with Dr Helen Mc Grath has been translated into Polish, Korean and Russian.
f2m: the boy within, a YA novel co-written with Ryan Kennedy, tackles coming of age for a youth who transitions gender.
Pocket Bonfire Production’s Hippo film premiered at St Kilda Film festival and screened internationally at Edinburgh Film Festival.
Hazel is married with two adult children and two grandsons, for whom she writes stories each birthday.
