About Rosanne

Even when I was little I would run around with a jotter and a pencil, trying to write a story but not knowing how to spell anything except Dick, Dora and cat. My mother used to get me to tell stories. A lot of my stories were just in my head, for being the youngest and living in the country didn't bring many opportunities for an audience. I was born in Penola, in South Australia. We had a sheep farm there until I was six, then we moved to a property in Central Queensland. I went to school at a one teacher school in Banana, a little country town named after a bullock. If a friend came to visit we would write clues for treasure hunts or pretend we were characters from films.

My first short story was published in the Moura State School magazine in 1967. At 14, I moved back to South Australia and attended Gawler High School where I won an Arts Scholarship to complete Years 11 & 12. I started a romantic novel when I was 17 but I burnt it later.

I loved teacher's college, studying education, art, music, literature & history. But it wasn't until I was working (for ten years) in the Middle East and Pakistan, teaching ESL, bringing up kids, when I started to write seriously. My kids loved the stories I told and one night after telling a story, my daughter asked me to write it down.

I am a writer, teacher, writing workshop facilitator, and on occasions, a story teller for children. I can provide a wide variety of presentations for schools from KG to high school; or for libraries, and clubs such as Rotary or youth groups.

I have a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Adelaide and am Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Tabor Adelaide, South Australia, a Christian accredited tertiary institution. I have researched Cornish Identity in Australian Children's Literature.

Voluntary work

I have judged competitions, spoken at service clubs. Currently I am chair of the Kapunda and Eudunda Chaplaincy support group, and secretary of the Kaounda Uniting Church, where I also take a turn at playing the organ.

Awards/honours

Awarded the
Carclew Fellowship, at Writers Week, Adelaide 2008.
Awarded 'Bard of
Cornwall' in 2006
'Mustara' Shortlisted in NSW Premier Literary
Awards 2007; and CBCA Notable Book.
'Across the Creek'- winner of
the children's section of the Cornish 2005 Holyer and Gof Trophy.
'Soraya
the Storyteller'- shortlisted in 2005 Australian Children's Book Awards
and in SA Festival Awards; commended in The Victorian Premier's Awards;
chosen as One Book One Salisbury in the Salisbury Writers' Festival.
'Wolfchild'
- Commendation in the open Cornish 2004 Hoyler and Gof Trophy,
shortlisted for Aurealis Awards 2003, Australian Children's Book Council
Notable Book, nominated for Kanga Awards.
'Sailmaker' - Australian
Children's Book Council Notable Book, and shortlisted for Kanga Awards,
2003.
'The Keeper' - chosen for The Adelaide Collection.
'Re-entry'
- Australian Children's Book Council Notable Book 1996, nominated for
CROWS Award 1996.
'Jihad' - shortlisted for Christian Schools Book
Award 1999.
Arts SA literature grant 2007.
Asialink
Fellowship to Pakistan 2006
May Gibbs Fellowship 2004
Varuna
Fellowship 2000
ARTSA Emerging Artists Grants 1999 and 1996
Out
of time funds granted for Literary Trip to Cornwall by Country Arts SA
and Arts SA 2005.

Some Other Writing:

'Zenna Dare' excerpt in "The Busy Earth: a reader in Global Cornish literature 1700-2000", ed Alan Kent & Gage McKinney, Cornish Hillside, St Austell, 2008.

'Desert Mermaid' in "Grow under the Southern Cross", ed. Lyn Hurry & Anne Hamilton, Writerlynks, Kenmore, QLD, 2008. (short story)

Excerpt from a work in progress, 'Stolen Bride', in "Tales from the Upper Room", ed Claire Bell et al, Pantaenus Press, Adelaide, 2008.

'Sweet Remembrance' in "Tales from the Upper Room", ed Claire Bell et al, Pantaenus Press, Adelaide, 2007.

'Jack and Jen in Oz: Cornish identity in Australian children's literature' in "Exile and Homecoming - papers from the Fifth Australian Conference of Celtic Studies", ed Pamela O'Neill, University of Sydney, 2005.

'Getting Young people interested in Family History', in "Australian Family Tree Connections", March 2006, p 36.

'Writers in Conversation: Christobel Mattingley, Rosanne Hawke & Anne Bartlett, "Conference Papers", Australian and NZ Theological Library Association, No 59, Spring 2006.

'At Home with Phil Cummings', in "Reading Time", Vol 46, No 2, 2002. (article)

'Peder's Grapes' in "Forked Tongues", Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 2002. (short story)

'Zucchini Soup' in "Forked Tongues", Wakefield Press, Adelaide, 2002. (poem)

'Straight Talk' in "One-Up", Scripture Union, UK, 1998. (Nativity Play for Teens).

'Dingo Fence' in 'Pursuit', Vol 2 1997, AddisonWesleyLongman. (Short Story).

See more about Rosanne:

Austlit data base

Who's Who in South Australia.
Who's Who of Australian Women 2008.

'Something about the Author', Vol 124, p98-101.

'Yorke Peninsula Country Times', May 21st 2003, p11.
www.ypct.com.au/news/03/05/21/kern5.html

'The Bunyip', Gawler SA, Wed April 30th 2003, p15.

Database of SA Women Writers.
www.slsa.sa.gov.au

Ferguson, Cecile, 'Lollipops, what's on for kids', May/June No 12, 1996, p20