Congratulating Writers SA members on their writing successes, from new book releases, to prizes, fellowships, awards, publication credits and more.

If you’re a Writers SA member who has celebrated a writing achievement recently, fill out this form to be included in our next feature.

May

Grasshopper, Jim Myhill’s very short piece of 101 words (known as a drabble) was published on 101 Words as their daily story on 21 May.

Katherine Goode will launch her latest children’s book, Roberto and the Black Swans at Burnside Library on 13 June. This heartfelt story is based on true events observed by Katherine at the St. Peter’s River Park and Billabong.

Rebecca Burton has had several short stories accepted for publication recently, including City of Light in The Marlowe Review, Instructions For Living a Life in Peatsmoke Journal, and What I Saw, forthcoming in Toronto Journal.

Launched in March, Laila’s Story by Mij Tanith has resonated strongly with Australian audiences and been featured in The Age, Sydney Morning Herald, Women’s Weekly, and the Weekend Magazine. Laila’s Story is a blend of narrative and poetry that documents a year-long effort to support an Afghan single mother Laila, and her five daughters as they seek safety in Australia. Mij will give an author talk at Aldinga Library on 19 June, supported by The Willunga Circle of Friends.

April

Lena Mysko was named as a finalist in the category of Suspense/Thriller in the Next Generation Short Story Awards for her work Grey.

Ryan Morrison has been named as a recipient of a CreateSA grant for Independent Artists and Groups in the Literature category. Ryan is researching and writing Past Write Through, a book of personal essays on being a teen drama kid in regional SA, seen through the lens of disability and new materialist theory.

Michele Slatter’s poem LISTS was awarded Poem of the Day from The Monthly Poet.

Rebecca Douglas was longlisted for the Minds Shine Bright Places Writing Prize for her short story The Elevator.

March

Hannah Kent received an Indie Book Award 2026 in the Non-fiction category for Always Home, Always Homesick.

Diane Lee’s flash fiction story Captured was published in Lowell & Benson Publishing’s anthology, The Dichotomy of Love.

Mij Tanith’s book Laila’s Story was released. It tells the tale of an Afghan man – a long-term refugee living in Australia – who walks into the home of two older women in Adelaide. What begins as a simple request for help evolves into a year-long journey of connection, resilience, and unexpected friendship. Through the story of Laila, a single mother with five daughters, and her growing relationship with the author, this work explores the power of human connection across seemingly insurmountable divides of language, culture, age, sexuality, and faith.

Dianne Reid will launch her memoir Humming The Bones, which she began writing at Writing Wednesdays in mid 2023! Humming the Bones charts the life of Australian dance and video artist Dianne Reid as she navigates grief and transition. Uniquely structured, shifting between prose and poetry, past and present, Reid interweaves contemporary dance history with her personal journey and a present-day contemplative walking practice. The book will be launched on April 10 2026 at the Henley Sailing Club – click here for further details and to RSVP.

Albert Jamae’s book Shaping Tomorrow’s Man is available for pre-order, and will be released on 4 July 2026. With a background of nearly 40 years in the entertainment industry (always based in SA) as performer, script writer, director and producer etc, this is his first pivot into a completely different genre. This isn’t another lecture, but a handbook to assist men to lead with clarity, live with purpose, build real connection, and become the kind of man others trust, follow, and learn from.

February

Lainie Anderson has been presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the General Division, for service to community history. Anderson is a historian and the author of several historical crime novels including The Death of Dora Black and Murder on North Terrace.

First-time author Neil Mackenzie has recently self-published The Hornets’ Nest, a YA coming-of-age action/adventure. In a world of anthropomorphic insects, four outsiders form a band, but a shocking revelation threatens their future, forcing them to confront who they are and what they want in life.

Heather Taylor-Johnson‘s seventh book of poetry – I Lost Someone Then Found Them In My Body – is out this month, with a launch at the Wheatsheaf Hotel on March 30.

Amelia Walker’s new book Reading and Writing for Change was launched on February 15th. The book both assists writers to identify the unrecognised connections between creative writing and processes of power, and equips them with the knowledge to produce works that project kindness and change.

The Big Dead Dry, the critically acclaimed debut novel by Australian author Portia Stanton-Noble, is set to be adapted into a feature film by 13th Street Films. The book is set in the drought-stricken (fictional) town of Brumby Flat in Far North South Australia.

Jim Myhill was awarded runner up in the 2025 Campbelltown Writer’s Competition for his story A reservoir of Memories and published in their anthology.

Diane Lee had two pieces published: a flash fiction horror story Captured in Blasphemous and a creative non-fiction piece, Gavel | Gravel in ScribesMICRO.

Rebecca Douglas was selected for a Lighthouse Arts Residency with the Hunter Writers’ Centre, and also had a short story published in The Saturday Paper.

January

Laila’s Story by Mij Tanith will be published by Spinifex on 3rd March, and will be launched at the Town hall with a Lord Mayoral reception. The book is now available for pre-order.

Robin Boord’s novel Out of Place will be published by Picador.

S.K. Neilson published her debut fantasy novel Singing Down the Sky, with IFWG Publishing International.

David Ratcliffe’s ten-minute comedy radio play Cats and Dogs was selected for production and broadcast by Ocean City Radio in the UK on 24th December.

Flash Phantoms published a flash fiction horror story by Diane Lee. The Detour was originally written for the Australian Writers’ Centre Furious Fiction competition.

Diane and David are both regular attendees of Writing Wednesday. Diane frequently submits her work to publications and competitions during the weekly sessions, and Cats and Dogs was written at Writing Wednesday.

Oh Brother, the debut graphic novel memoir by Georgina Chadderton, will be released on 10th February. It is about her experiences growing up in Adelaide with a sibling who is autistic and has an intellectual disability. It’s also about being an awkward, sweaty, young teen!