Meet the Australian Writers’ Centre team
With courses constantly launching across the country and online, keeping the Australian Writers’ Centre a well-oiled machine is quite the challenge. Luckily for us, we have a merry band of behind-the-scenes magicians who not only make it look easy but sometimes even whistle while they do it. From marketing to meet-ups, newsletters to new courses, or support for students and presenters alike, these heroes go above and beyond to keep the Australian Writers’ Centre at just the right level of awesomeness.
Valerie Khoo CEO (a.k.a. Bookworm and Closet Action Movie Watcher)
Currently obsessed with: Painting Flying apostrophes. Netflix's documentary The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (about the rise and fall of biotech company Theranos). And trying to accept the fact that my partner actually bought a reclining chair.
Two people I’m inspired by: The author Michael Lewis and musical genius and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda (our office is somewhat obsessed with the musical Hamilton).
Book: Any book by one of our wonderful presenters – they are all incredibly talented and I’m privileged to be able to work with them.
Word: “Milquetoast”
Lyric: “Show a little faith, there’s magic in the night” from Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: “There”. Because that’s what keeps me moving forward.
Bucket list destination: The Star Wars Cantina
My name as an anagram: “EVIL OAK HERO”
Favourite AWC course: Freelance Writing Stage 1. I love this course because so many people do it and are then able to earn a part-time income from freelance writing.
Angela Slatter
Creative Writing Mentor (a.k.a. Floating Writer Brain)
Currently obsessed with: The Instagram page of a fighter called Samuel Erisson. I’m not actually overfond of humans hitting other humans, but his fitness routines are really great to watch and funny!
Two people I’m inspired by: US author CSE Cooney, who is not only an amazing writer but just someone who lives life with joy and art and glorious noise. And Jessica Megan who’s an instagrammer and body positivity activist, who calls out all the garbage around dieting and appearence.
Book: Currently reading (non-fiction) The Last Witches of England by John Callow and (fiction)Small Favors by Erin A. Craig (a gothicy horror).
Word: "Antidisestablishmentarianism” (it’s a good test to see if you’ve had too much to drink or are too tired to continue with a task!)
Lyric: “I’ll make wine from your tears” – Never Tear Us Apart by INXS – it was part of the inspiration for my first novel, Vigil.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: Gosh, if pressed, I’d got for “there”. As in “Go over there (and not near me).” Or “It’s over there where you were before and did not look properly!” Perhaps it’s just frequency of use and not an actual preference!
Bucket list destination: Currently back to the Orkneys for another writing retreat (Juliet Mariller and Kim Wilkins and I had a wonderful week there back in 2017), and then I’d love to do another writing retreat on the Island of Jersey, writing a book based on some of the local folklore.
My name as an anagram: “NO ELITE BACON”
Favourite AWC course: I like teaching all my AWC courses, but I really do love Write Your Novel – It lets me help newer writers towards the really big goal of getting a first draft done. That’s a huge step, mentally and emotionally. Then convincing them to leave it alone for a few months so that when they return to it they’ve got some perspective – and realise it’s neither the ugliest nor the most beautiful baby in the world, but a thing they can work on and polish.
Farah MoradaMarketing and Content Coordinator (a.k.a. Accident Prone Person)
Currently obsessed with: All things travel!
Two people I’m inspired by: My mother and Paulo Coelho.
Book: Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho.
Word: "Now"
Lyric: “The more I see, the less I know. The more I like to let it go. — Snow (Hey Oh) by Red Hot Chili Peppers
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: "There" — to the places I've been, and places I've yet to go!
Bucket list destination: Anywhere that gets my blood racing is probably worth going!
My name as an anagram: “AFAR HAD ROAM”
Favourite AWC course: Make Time to Write – trying!
Natalie NewmanContent Writer (a.k.a Drinker of Beer, Defender of Cats)
Currently obsessed with: Space, the universe, and everything. Also, exclamation marks!
Two people I’m inspired by: Anthony Trollope and Janelle Monae.
Book: The Master & Commander series by Patrick O'Brian.
Word: petrichor – the smell just before it rains.
Lyric: "We'll ride the spiral to the end, And may just go where no one's been." Lateralus, Tool.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: "They're" – because I'm always interested in people.
Bucket list destination: Mars! But maybe that won't happen in my lifetime, so I'll settle for the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. Ooh! Or the Galapagos Islands!
My name as an anagram: “AN ALE MEANT WIN!”
Favourite AWC course: Travel Writing! I can't wait to file stories from space.
Pamela Freeman Director of Creative Writing (a.k.a. Chief Storyteller)
Currently obsessed with: Kakadu National Park (for a picture book).
Two people I’m inspired by: Valerie Khoo and Mary MacKillop! Both women who not only achieve, but do it by inspiring others!
Book: Too many, too many...let me try...no, can’t pick one.
Word: “Decrepit”
Lyric: “One more dawn, one more day, One Day More!” – from Les Miserables
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: Yes, in the right places.
Bucket list destination: Mars. Have wanted to go there since I was tiny.
My name as an anagram: “EARN AMPLE FAME”
Favourite AWC course: Write Your Novel!
Abby DonkinSales and Communications Coordinator (a.k.a Crochet Queen)
Currently obsessed with: Bees and amigurumi crochet.
Two people I’m inspired by: Georgia O'Keeffe and Markus Zusak.
Book: Really, I can only pick one? Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada.
Word: "Selcouth" – the unfamiliar, rare, strange, yet marvellous.
Lyric: "Wipe your feet climb aboard this rocket, first you can try it then you can knock it." Higher, Art vs. Science.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: “There" - be there or be square!
Bucket list destination: Mexico and Peru.
My name as an anagram: “BOY BAND INK”
Favourite AWC course: Fiction Essentials: Characters
Peter van der Kraan
Finance Director (a.k.a. Power tool collector)
Currently obsessed with: iRacing
Two people I’m inspired by: Vince Gilligan and Ted Lasso.
Book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
Word: “Halcyon”
Lyric: “I don't go to parties baby, Cos people tend to freak me out” – Regurgitator
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: “Their”
Bucket list destination: Tokyo
My name as an anagram: “PRANK DARE VETERAN”
Favourite AWC course: Creative Writing Stage 1 – a powerful force behind so many stories.
Nicole Beaton
Customer Support and Systems Manager (a.k.a. Paper Nerd)
Currently obsessed with: Overwatch
Two people I’m inspired by: Tamora Pierce (taught me how strong women can be in fiction) and Hermione Granger (yeah, yeah, not a real person. I know. Smart, loyal, humble, punched Malfoy – too inspiring not to list.)
Book: Cracked by Eliza Crewe – what’s not to love about a deliciously almost-evil hero?
Word: “Inconceivable!” (You know why.)
Lyric: “Forever trusting who we are / And nothing else matters” – Metallica feels.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: Ummm….“there”?
Bucket list destination: Venice, Italy. Just magic.
My name as an anagram: “NO ELITE BACON”
Favourite AWC course: Write Your Novel: 6-month program – I came out the other side with an (almost) full draft, which is something I’ve never managed before.
Cath PatanguiWeb developer (a.k.a Makeup palette lover)
Currently obsessed with: Make-up pallets and body paint and learning how to play piano.
Two people I’m inspired by: Ravi Zacharias and Robert Kiyosaki
Book: Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Word: God, Life, Happiness
Lyric: “I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I'm not enough, Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up, You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing, You say I am strong when I think I am weak, And You say I am held when I am falling short.”
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: "There" There’s only one antidote to discouragement and that's encouragement.
Bucket list destination: Visit 5 Disneylands (Japan, Hong Kong, Paris, Orlando Florida and California)
My name as an anagram: “TAUGHT IN A CAP”
Favourite AWC course: Laugh Out Loud I want to spend time reading and laughing with kids.
Amy GoodmanGeneral Manager (a.k.a. user manual hoarder)
Currently obsessed with: Exploring my own city – it's amazing how long you can live in one place and still not have seen even a quarter of it.
Two people I’m inspired by: My parents (let's call them one) and my sister.
Book: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. I can re-read every year and it doesn't get old.
Word: "Melancholy" – it sounds how it feels.
Lyric: "Hakuna matata" – Tim Rice. It really is a wonderful phrase.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: “There”. Because I want you to tell me about the there you're picturing.
Bucket list destination: Hot air ballooning over the Cappadocian Mountains.
My name as an anagram: “NOMAD YOGA”
Favourite AWC course: Food Writing
Sarah JordanFurious Fictioneer (a.k.a. Stiletto Stalker)
Currently obsessed with: Discovering the nooks and crannies of my new neighbourhood. So many delightful crannies.
Two people I’m inspired by: Lucille Ball and J.K. Rowling.
Book: Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey.
Word: “Soliloquy”
Lyric: “Let the dashboard underscore everything we’ve seen. While the world plays for our pleasure on our windshield silver screen” from Night Drive by Gotye.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: “They’re” – because I like gossip.
Bucket list destination: Switzerland. A fairytale setting and 450 types of cheese? Be still my beating heart.
My name as an anagram: “A SAD JAR HORN”
Favourite AWC course: How to Write for Children and Young Adults. Learn to capture the attention of this young audience and their love of books will be ignited for life.
Rah GardinerAudio and Media Producer (a.k.a. plane-spotting lady)
Currently obsessed with: TikTok! I learn so much from the tutorials on there.
Two people I’m inspired by: Jonathan Van Ness and Lizzo
Book: Down Under by Bill Bryson – it’s my comfort book, and is always within reach on my bedside...
Word: “Saudades” – a (Brasilian) Portuguese word meaning "nostalgic longing" or "the love that remains".
Lyric: "Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter" from Don't Rain On My Parade.
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: All that matters is that it's used correctly
Bucket list destination: New York, specifically to go to a taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
My name as an anagram: “HARD EARRING”
Favourite AWC course: Copywriting Essentials, especially learning how to write persuasively. Fascinating stuff.
Joseph PabionaFull Stack WordPress Developer (a.ka. The Fab Farmer)
Currently obsessed with: My four girls (my beautiful wife, and three lovely daughters) and hundreds of chickens and peacocks on the farm.
Two people I’m inspired by: Mark Cuban and Bill Johnson.
Book: For Richer and for Poorer by Chinkee Tan.
Word:"Life, Joy and Fun"
Lyric: “You live you learn, You love you learn, You cry you learn, You lose you learn, You bleed you learn, You scream you learn" – You Learn by Alanis Morrisette
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: "There" can be miracles if you believe.
Bucket list destination: Japan, Australia and USA.
My name as an anagram: “JAPAN'S HIP OBOE”
Favourite AWC course: Make Time to Write
Dean KooreyContent Writer and Furious Fictioneer (a.k.a. Attila the Pun)
Currently obsessed with: Avocados.
Two people I’m inspired by: Mark Tim Minchin and the Oatmeal guy.
Book: Boy Swallows Universe – a cautionary tale for people watching their calories. by Trent Dalton.
Word:“Zeitgeist” – Somehow it never seems to go out of fashion.
Lyric: “It’s the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.” – by REM
THEIR, THERE or THEY’RE?: Definitely “there”, because it’s always good to know your place.
Bucket list destination: Norway
My name as an anagram: “YANKEE DOOR”
Favourite AWC course: Real Estate Copywriting