Local Writers and Editors
Our members are a diverse and interesting group of people who come from all walks of life, united by their passion for the written word.
Kerrie Phipps
Speaker and Leadership Coach, Author of
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Do Talk To Strangers - How to Connect With Anyone, Anywhere (2014)
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Lifting the Lid on Quiet Achievers - Success Stories of Regional Entrepreneurs (2010)
Peter Volkofsky
Peter is a spoken word poet, life coach and blogger. He lives in Dubbo, Australia, with his wife Penelope to whom he has been married for thirty-three years. Together, they have reared seven children.
Peter’s first book Beautiful Quest, a contemplative non-fiction memoir, was published in 2015.
His second book, Mia's Magic Wand, was published in 2017.
Visit Peter's blog 'black and white and shades of grey' at http://blog.cornerstone.edu.au/pete/
Pat Clarke
Pat has always loved stories, as a child she enjoyed reading the works of Enid Blyton and telling original tales of her own too. Pat's desire to share her love of the Australian bush resulted in her embarking on a second career as a writer, penning her first book, The Magic Forest of Goonoo.
The success of this title encouraged her to continue writing, and six more books have now cemented her reputation as a popular children's author. Her collaboration with talented Narrabri artist Graeme Compton has resulted in producing books that are loved by both children and adults alike and Pat hopes will encourage awareness of our precious wildlife and our unique Australian environment.
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Val Clark
Val Clark is an award-winning storyteller and visual artist, a literary fiction judge and an experienced Creative and Memoir Writing workshop presenter. She’s addicted to reading, particularly YA, and writes across genres and ages. She indie published Lost and Found. Her most recently published short stories are After Plenty, published in Centres and Peripheries anthology and Encounter with a Tire Roller, in the enCounter anthology. When not writing she loves teaching creative writing, chatting with fellow writers and helping them achieve their dreams. She holds teaching qualifications in Fine Arts and Drama, a Masters in Creative Writing and is a self-confessed writing workshop junkie.
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Politimi Sansey
When Dubbo-based poet Politimi Sansey sailed to the enchanted Greek island of Hydra in 2007 to visit
family, she got more than she bargained for when she encountered L.A-born resident artist Michael
Lawrence. The meeting ignited an immediate and prolific correspondence between Dubbo and Hydra
which lasted until the artist’s death in 2021. Voice and Vision is a much-treasured distillation of this
synergistic relationship. It is also a fitting tribute to the enduring power of creative collaboration.
Sadiya Shiraj
Sadiya Shiraj (she/her) is a proud transgender writer, poet, essayist and actress. Having grown up in Dubbo, she moved to Wollongong to study philosophy, and is now pursuing an acting degree in Sydney. She has performed in poetry slams in both Sydney and Wollongong, winning the first Enough Said Poetry slam of 2023 in Wollongong and continues to write regularly for her substack readers and her YouTube subscribers.