AustLit

Catriona Mills began work at AustLit in 2010, and is currently the Acting Director. She holds degrees from Macquarie University and The University of Queensland, including a PhD on the writing career of Australian-trained nineteenth-century actor Eliza Winstanley.

She has published on adaptations of penny weekly serials to the suburban stage, authorship attribution in nineteenth-century periodicals, steampunk, and Doctor Who, and has led AustLit research projects on steampunk and early Australian television.

Visit Catriona's AustLit record.

Professor Anita Heiss is a proud Wiradjuri woman, but born in Gadigal country. She has spent much of her life on Dharawal land near La Perouse. Anita is an award-winning prolific writer and editor of non-fiction, children's novels, historical fiction, and commercial fiction. 

Anita is a strong advocate for Indigenous literacy, and is a Patron of Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Her support and leadership of BlackWords began at its foundation in 2007, and regularly advocates for BlackWords through educational and academic events.

In 2019, Anita was appointed Professor of Communications at The University of Queensland, and divides her time between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Studies (ATSIS) Unit, and The School of Communication and Arts. Anita is also on the Board for State Library of Queensland.

Visit Anita's AustLit record.

Jonathan has been a developer for AustLit for over ten years. He is also involved in The University of Queensland's Digital Humanities and Social Sciences initiative run through UQ's Research Computing Centre.

He writes poetry and short fiction and is a lover of Celtic folk music, occasionally attempting to play the Irish flute and tin whistle. 

Visit Jonathan's AustLit record.

Brenden Jeon has been a developer for AustLit and Cirrus which is Learning and Teaching platform provided by AustLit since 2016.

He loves reading books, and watching clips about scientists' biographies as well as science history. Brenden has also published some computer programming books.

Joanne Sawyers completed a Bachelor of Contemporary Studies at The University of Queensland in 2002. After completing a Certificate in Workplace Assessment and Training she taught Computer Studies at the Bremer Institute of TAFE.

After a short period working as a volunteer guide at the Ipswich Art Gallery, she took up a position as a Research Assistant for Dr Toni Johnson-Woods, working on her ARC funded pulp fiction project. During this time, she also lectured and tutored Media Studies at The University of Queensland Ipswich campus.

In 2009, she joined the AustLit team and is now the organisation’s senior researcher and indexer.

Joanne's favourite authors include Michael Robotham, Candice Fox, Adrian McKinty, and Dervla McTiernan.

Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi is apart of the Zagareb and Magaram/Dauareb tribes of Mer (Murray) Island. Their bloodline also reaches the village of Fahefa, Tonga.

Meleika is a writer, poet, rapper, film and book critic. Her writing goes against the grain of colonial story telling, with her work always paying tribute to her roots, in ancestral and lyrical ways.

Meleika joined AustLit in 2019.

Visit Meleika's AustLit record.

Gabriel joined AustLit in 2020 as a part-time General Indexer. In 2019, he completed his Bachelor of Arts (Writing and Spanish) at UQ. Gabriel has previously worked with AustLit as part of the ENGL3020 internship and as a Summer Scholar working on the Australian Epic Fantasy project. 

Bianca joined AustLit in 2020 as Subscription and Engagement Officer (part-time), and also works as a bookseller and events host at Avid Reader Bookshop. Previously, Bianca tutored in UQ's School of Business and has worked in tertiary education since 2014. In 2018, Bianca completed her Masters of Professional Practice (Writing), following a Bachelor of Creative Writing (2016) (USC).

Bianca is an Australian writer of historical fiction, eco-fiction and magic realism. She is currently pitching her debut historical fiction novel, 'The Solitary Light' based on one of Australia’s most isolated lighthouses. Bianca’s stories have been published in five creative writing anthologies, including RMIT’s Visible Ink. She has been awarded 1st place in both Live Sunshine Coast’s and Field of Words inaugural creative writing competitions. In 2019, she released an anthology of stories entitled eMerge, of which she collaborated as a writer, editor and desktop publisher.

She currently lives in Brisbane and feels most at home by the water, especially if there is a lighthouse nearby.

For more information on Bianca's writing visit biancamillroy.com or follow @biancamillroy on Twitter. 

Amy Schoonens (nee Cross) has collaborated with AustLit since 2008: initially as a Project Manager on three large-scale children's literature projects, then as research assistant at AustLit, UQ, from 2018-2020. Amy's roles included subscription management, research, indexing, project assistance and content development.

Her research interests include children's and young adult literature, genre fiction and digital humanities. Amy has a Bachelor of Arts (UQ), Grad Dip. in Library and Information Management (CSU) and a Master of Arts, Children's Literature (MQ). She has previously worked as a Researcher and Librarian.

In 2020, Amy left her employment position at AustLit to undertake a PhD at Queensland University of Technology researching The Online Book Consumption Practices of Teen Readers: Mapping the Digital Ecology of Teen Reading.  Amy was offered an ARC Discovery Scholarship to undertake this research.

Visit Amy's AustLit record.

Stephen Carleton

Stephen Carleton is a playwright, and Senior Lecturer within UQ School of Communication and Arts.

Simon Farley

Simon Farley is the Fryer Librarian at The University of Queensland's Fryer Library. 

Bronwyn Lea

Bronwyn Lea is a poet, Professor and Head of School for School of Communication and Arts. She is also a Board Director of UPLIT.

Jacqueline Blanchard

Jacqueline Blanchard is the Managing Editor of UQP.

Natalie Collie

Natalie Collie is a Lecturer with the School of Communication and Arts.

Anita heiss

Anita Heiss is the Director of BlackWords and Professor of Communications in the School of Communications and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at UQ.

anna johnston

Anna Johnston is Associate Professor of English and former ARC Future Fellow, University of Queensland.