I'm grateful for Australian women writers...

1. MARGO LANAGAN: Tonight I had dinner with Margo, and little did I know (clearly I’ve been living under a rock) that the woman I was wrestling the last piece of tandoori chicken from, was actually the #1 World Fantasy writer. That’s right. Margo has recently won her FOURTH World Fantasy Award for her novella Sea Hearts, published in the X6 anthology by Australian small publisher Coeur de Lion. I knew Margo was a deadly writer having published numerous collections of short stories and novels, but really, I didn’t know I should’ve curtseyed when I entered the restaurant. Needless to say, I let her have the chicken, goodness gracious, she needs all the protein she can get to keep the brain producing all those stories. Kudos to you Margo, my #1 fantasy friend... so to speak!
The pic above has me declaring the #1 status of Ms Lanagan.
2. GEORGIA BLAIN: I first read Georgia’s novel Closed for Winter lying down Maroubra Beach. I loved it and it has been doing the rounds of neighbours and friends since. I haven’t yet seen the movie but aim to when I have a quite night to myself. In the meantime, I’d just like to say I’m grateful for the fashion inspiration Georgia also offers me. She can take a pair of curtains and transform them into the grooviest dress. Not sure what I can do with my venetian blinds though! Georgia and I also share a similar special relationship with our mothers otherwise known as Queen Anne and Aunty Elsie. The pic below is of Georgia, Rosie Scott and I at dinner tonight.

3. ROSIE SCOTT: While Rosie does not like me referring to her as my Elder, and I certainly would never call her ‘Aunty’, I am grateful to my long time friend – playwright, novelist, essayist and anthologist – for all the wisdom she provides on life and literature. I’d like to be a lot more like Rosie when I eventually grow up
4. KATHRYN HEYMAN: Kathryn and I first met at the Byron Bay Writers’ Festival in 2003 over a few glasses of red. The rest is history, and some of should remain ‘unwritten’. But what I love about Kathryn, aside from her novel The Accomplice, is that she is teaching me how to be a better listener. I’m grateful to her for taking the time to talk to me, A LOT, so I can practice the art. It really is a skill I need to develop. The fab Kathryn is below with Margo and moi.

5. LISA BELLEAR: My dear tidda passed away in 2006 but I wanted to mention tonight that I was grateful to know her, spend time just hanging out, share writing platforms with her at festivals and conferences, and be part of her passion for photography. I’m still unhappy that someone pinched my personal copy of Lisa’s poetry collection Dreaming in Urban Areas, but I’m pleased to see that Vagabond Press has published a retrospect of Lisa’s poems titled Aboriginal Country, edited by Jen Jewel Brown. I hope to see you all at the Friend in Hand Hotel in Glebe on December 12 for the launch.