Public Intimacies – Writing About Family

Ben Hobson lives in Brisbane and is entirely keen on his wife, Lena, and their two small boys, Charlie and Henry. He also has a superb pooch named Lincoln, which Charlie forced him to write about in his biography. He currently teaches English and Music at a Queensland High School, and has a keen interest in philosophy, theology, writing and reading. Born in Gippsland, Victoria, Ben grew up surrounded by the sights and smells of the country. His early interest in creativity saw him pursue music both academically and artistically, graduating from QUT in 2011 with a degree, and travelling the country with Sounds Like Chicken, a ska/rock/hardcore hybrid. In 2014 his novella, If the Saddle Breaks My Spine, was shortlisted for the Viva La Novella prize, run by Seizureonline. To Become a Whale, his debut novel, was released in June 2017, by Allen & Unwin. His second novel, Snake Island, was released in August 2019.

Karen Foxlee is an Australian author who writes for both kids and young-adults. She grew up in the Australia outback mining town Mount Isa and still frequently dreams she is walking barefoot along the dry Leichhardt River. One of four children she started telling stories when she was young. She filled countless small exercise books with sweeping sagas of orphaned girls illustrated with pictures cut from the back of Readers Digest magazines. Her award-winning novels include The Anatomy of Wings, The Midnight Dress, Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy and A Most Magical Girl. Her latest story for all ages is Lenny’s Book of Everything. It recently won the Children’s Book of the Year Indie Award. Karen lives in South East Queensland with her daughter and several animals, including two wicked parrots who frequently eat parts of her laptop when she isn’t looking. Her passions are her daughter, writing, day-dreaming, baking, running and swimming in the sea.