Program Advisory Panel

To improve depth, breadth and innovation in our programs, the HNSA Committee has established a Program Advisory Panel to assist in using principles of diversity and inclusion. We are grateful for the invaluable contribution of the panel members below.

  • Tim Darcy Ellis (BA BSc, MHSc) is a writer, business owner and formerly a professional archaeologist. His critically acclaimed debut, ‘The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives’ is a fast-paced and meticulously researched historical novel. Tim is passionate about bringing his love of history, archaeology and philosophy together: and to express it by writing great fiction. For further information:

  • Kelly Gardiner writes historical fiction for all ages. Her latest series is The Firewatcher Chronicles. Her other books include Goddess, based on the life of Mademoiselle de Maupin; 1917: Australia’s Great War, shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Young People’s History Prize and Asher Award; the Swashbuckler pirate trilogy; and a picture book, Billabong Bill’s Bushfire Christmas. Her young adult novels Act of Faith and The Sultan’s Eyes, were both shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, while Act of Faith was shortlisted for the ASA’s Barbara Jefferis Award. A former journalist, Kelly teaches creative writing at La Trobe University. For further information:

  • Roanna Gonsalves is the award-winning author of the acclaimed collection of short fiction The Permanent Resident (UWAP) published in India as Sunita De Souza Goes To Sydney (Speaking Tiger). Her writing has been compared to the work of Alice Munro and Jhumpa Lahiri. Her four-part radio series On the tip of a billion tongues, commissioned and broadcast by ABC RN’s Earshot program, is an acerbic portrayal of contemporary India through its multilingual writers. She teaches creative writing within the university sector in Australia. For further information:

  • Paula Morris (Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Whatua) is the author of the story collection Forbidden Cities (2008); the long-form essay On Coming Home (2015); and eight novels, including Rangatira (2011), winner of best work of fiction at both the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards and Ngā Kupu Ora Maori Book Awards. Her most recent book is False River (2017), a collection of stories and essays around the subject of secret histories. She teaches creative writing at the University of Auckland, sits on the Māori Literature Trust, Mātātuhi Foundation, and New Zealand Book Awards Trust, and is the founder of the Academy of New Zealand Literature. Appointed an MZNM in the 2019 New Year Honours, she currently holds the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship. For further information:

  • Rebecca Lim is an award-winning Australian writer, illustrator and editor and the author of over twenty books, including Tiger Daughter (a CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award-winner), The Astrologer’s Daughter and the bestselling Mercy. Her work has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Queensland Literary Awards, Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award and Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, shortlisted multiple times for the Aurealis Awards and Davitt Awards, and longlisted for the Gold Inky Award and the David Gemmell Legend Award. She is a co-founder of the Voices from the Intersection initiative to support emerging young adult and children’s authors and illustrators who are First Nations, People of Colour, LGBTIQA+ and/or living with disability, and co-editor of Meet Me at the Intersection, a groundbreaking anthology of YA #OwnVoice memoir, poetry and fiction.

  • Rachel Bin Salleh is descended from the Nimunburr and Yawuru peoples of the Kimberley. Rachel is passionate about First Nations peoples telling their stories and started at Magabala Books in the 1990s. In 2014, Rachel became Magabala’s Publisher and wrote her first book Alfred’s War (2018).  For further information:

  • Indrani Ganguly is from a Bengali Indian background. She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her Dutch-Australian husband, son, daughter, grandson and two beagles.   

    Indrani’s publications comprising both academic and creative works include a book based on her Ph.D. thesis, The Social History of a Bengal Town (1987), an anthology of poetry, prose and fiction titled In My Father’s House (2015) and a historical novel The Rose and the Thorn (2019) focusing on the role of so-called ordinary women in  India’s national movement for independence. She is now working on the sequel which continues the story in post-Independence India and explores some Australia-India connections. For further information:

  • Sienna Brown is a novelist and film maker born in Jamaica and now living in Sydney. Her debut novel, Master of My Fate (Penguin Random House, 2019), won the MUD Literary Prize for best debut novel at the Adelaide Writers’ Week and was a finalist in the inaugural $60,0000 2020 ARA Historical Novel Prize. Before turning to fiction, Brown worked as a film director/editor. A highlight is her SBS documentary My Bush Wedding about the Aboriginal artist Gordon Syron. She has also won numerous awards for her educational videos. Brown has a BA in directing from the Australian Film Television and Radio School and technical experience in all aspects of screen media. She also has experience in public engagement and events management, having worked ten years for Sydney Living Museums.