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Michael Brissenden is an author and a journalist. He has written both non-fiction and fiction.
He has published four crime thrillers – The List in 2017, Dead Letters in 2021, Smoke in 2024 and the most recent Dust published in 2025 by Affirm Press.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Michael was a political journalist and foreign correspondent with the ABC for 35 years.
Saskia Beudel is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She is the author of the novel Borrowed Eyes and nonfiction works A Country in Mind: Memoir with Landscape and (with Jill Bennett) Curating Sydney.
Her books have been shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, a Dobbie Award and the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature.
Saskia’s essays have appeared in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Best Australian Essays, The Saturday Paper, The Sydney Review of Books, Kill Your Darlings, HEAT and The Iowa Review.
She has been awarded several national and international fellowships, including the Copyright Agency Fellowship for Non-fiction Writing.
Her website is www.saskiabeudel.com and her latest book is Peaking: High Intensity Training at the end of the World (May 2026).
Thom Woodroofe is a Senior International Fellow with the Smart Energy Council.
He played a key role in securing the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, including helping establish the High Ambition Coalition of progressive nations.
He has since worked as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, for the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade in Washington DC, and forged a backchannel for US–China climate talks during his time at the Asia Society in New York.
Thom studied diplomacy as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and thanks to solar power, grew up off-the-grid in regional Victoria.
Thom’s latest book is Power, Prosperity and Planet.
Margaret Hickey is an award-winning author and playwright from North East Victoria.
She has a PhD in Creative Writing and is deeply interested in rural lives and communities.
She is the author of six crime novels - Cutters End, Stone Town, Broken Bay, The Creeper, An Ill Wind and Cold River - and a collection of short stories, Rural Dreams.
Cutters End was awarded the BAD Crime Sydney Festival’s Danger Prize, and was also shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for First Fiction.
Margaret won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Fiction in 2025 for The Creeper.
Dr. Peter Coleman is an Australian author whose titles include Sins of The Filthy Rich: Tales a of Wicked Wealth, Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes, Dark Arts and Crafts and Weekends with Matt – all published by Affirm Press.
Peter has a Ph.D. in cultural studies from Monash University. His primary reason for getting a Ph.D. was to call himself “Dr” on flights and get upgraded to Business class.To date, no upgrade has been forthcoming.
He works as a consultant in the not-for profit sector, but can’t be bothered explaining what that involves.
His interests include the French philosopher Simone Weil and Below Deck: Down Under.
Peter has been married to his husband Mike for over 20 years. Their marriage is yet to lead to the downfall of society, but he still holds out hope.
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