Reintroducing…

Hello again! My name is Stephanie and I’m one third of the official blogging team for Melbourne Writers Festival 2012. This is my second year in the job, along with veteran Angela Meyer and newbie Mark Welker, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all a bit better as the festival draws closer.

Here’s an awful picture of me, 2 years ago, in the middle of the unseasonably rainy Australian desert.

In case we haven’t already met, I’m a writer and an arts lover, and if you’ve spent any time in the Melbourne arts scene then we have probably passed one another in a hallway somewhere. You might have seen my by-line in some local literary journals, or perhaps in the Emerging Writers’ Festival program. I also work for Melbourne Theatre Company. I see a lot of shows, so I spend a significant amount of time in foyers and auditoriums, and if you’re a regular theatre-goer then I’ve probably tripped over your legs more than once.

I’m interested in politics, media, arts and culture, industry and creativity, but what I am most interested in is writing. As a reader, I enjoy plot-driven fiction that tests my ideas about the world, and non-fiction that is socially and politically conscious. As a writer, I write about everything from remote Australia to lingerie football. For the curious, my internet home is Ginger & Honey, and my home-away-from-home is the Overland Journal blog, where I have been writing since 2010, and have my own column called La Fille Mal Gardée.

I have recently finished writing my first novel, Big River. I have also just been awarded my PhD and will happily respond to being called ‘Doctor!’ although I don’t promise to be able to cure you of all your ills. In fact, I may induce them. Sorry.

If you want to get in touch you can come and say hi on Twitter (my handle is @gingerandhoney), leave comments here, or shoot me an email (gingerandhoney at gmail dot com).

Onward to the festival!