Writers SA is the state’s peak organisation for writing and literature, putting South Australian writers at the forefront of national literary culture. A member-based not-for-profit, we nurture deeper connections, create vital opportunities and industry pathways, and support writers at all stages, through an array of literary programs, festivals, services, and events.
Established in 1985, Writers SA was the first writers’ centre in Australia, and continues to showcase and promote the state’s writers, placing them at the heart of Australian literary life. A resource for writers of all ages and experiences, we help both emerging and established writers on every aspect of writing craft and publishing. While we are a state-based organisation, we collaborate with interstate and international partners, and we are committed to advocating on behalf of all writers in Australia.
Writers SA could not operate without the generous support of Creative Australia and Arts SA, and partners like The State Library of South Australia, City of Adelaide and City Library.
Writers SA is located on Kaurna land. We acknowledge Kaurna people as the original storytellers of this place, who have led a culture of storytelling for many thousands of years. We pay our respects to Kaurna elders past and present, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on whose lands we live, work and create. This always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
Meet the Team
TAMARA MONTINA
Program Coordinator
Tamara Montina is an emerging writer and editor dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices and exploring the complexities of identity. Through her work as the Head Editor of UniSA’s student-led publication, Verse Magazine, she has honed her skills in crafting compelling narratives and advocating for diverse perspectives. Montina’s work has been featured in the publications of Liminal Mag, State Theatre Company, and Verse Magazine, where her work confronts the themes of human connection, grief and cultural longing. She was the guest Curator for the Context Writers Festival in 2023.
VERN SCHULZ
Finance Officer
Vern has a diverse background and broad experience in all facets of office and finance management. Starting out in the graphic arts industry as a photo retoucher and desktop publisher, he then transitioned to working in a business doing website design and publication, in the role of Director and Office Manager. Following that, he moved to the Pink Sofa, a lesbian dating website, as Office Manager, doing payroll, accounts and selling online advertising. After 4 years working in that interesting and diverse role, he moved to one of Adelaide’s leading law firms as a Legal Administrator, and then Payroll Administrator.
Out of work hours, Vern has subcontracted his time to one of Adelaide Hills’ favourite pizza and wine bars, Lost In A Forest, doing HR, Finance and Payroll. An avid (and competitive) sailor and certified RYA Keelboat Instructor, you will often find him off sailing locally, interstate and overseas whenever possible.
With a keen interest in the arts, Vern is pleased to be working with Writers SA and brings a broad range of skills to the organisation.
Meet the Board
Tanya Wilkins
Chair
In tandem with her science communication PhD, Tanya writes science, business and government stories, particularly with a sustainability focus.
One of her more innovative academic writing projects has been a climate change murder/mystery game. Her master’s thesis explored the journey that climate change communication has taken to increase public understanding. As a promoter of genuine communication and engagement, Tanya is an advocate for the experts in these new days of ‘google-fuelled online warriors’. Tanya hangs onto her dream of being published in The New Yorker one day.
Nick Hays
Deputy Chair
Nick Hays is the Executive Director of Australian Dance Theatre, the nation’s oldest contemporary dance company founded on Kaurna Country in 1965. Nick has worked in Australia’s cultural sector for nearly 20 years, most recently at The Australian Ballet in Melbourne as a senior member of its Philanthropy team, as well as at Arts Centre Melbourne and Heide Museum of Modern Art. He has also been Chair of Melbourne-based independent theatre company, Rawcus, a board member of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria and Deputy Chair of Dancehouse Melbourne, one of the pre-eminent centres for contemporary dance practice and research in Australia. Nick is also currently on the Board of Project Animo, an initiative of The Australian Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Alice Topp and acclaimed designer Jon Buswell, founded to bring together a collective of independent artistic voices and talent from across Australia’s dance landscape.
Jane Howard
Board Member
Jane Howard is a Walkley Award-winning journalist and deputy arts and culture editor at The Conversation.
Jane’s work has appeared in publications including Kill Your Darlings, ABC, Meanjin, Crikey, and The Stage. She has written for the Guardian across Australia and in Asia; had writing commissioned in the UK, the USA, Canada, and the Czech Republic; and has been translated into multiple languages.
Craig Phillips
Board Member
Craig Phillips is a highly experience banking and finance professional, working in senior roles in major banking organisations for 35 years. For the last four years now, he has operated his own independent debt advisory business, Glengyle Finance which specialises in providing expert advice to business for their commercial debt arrangements. Craig has an MBA in Corporate Treasury & Finance and more recently completed the Company Directors’ Course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Craig is an avid reader, currently in US politics; recently completing at least one biography of every US President.
Rachel Spencer
Board Member
Rachel Spencer recently embarked on a freelance writing and consulting career. She is a lawyer, a writer, a scholar and a teacher, who has driven her professional life down many roads; winding between legal practice, tertiary education, public speaking, creative writing, research, professional writing, teaching and management. Rachel has worked in private legal practice, in the commercial radio industry, the wine industry and the community legal sector. She also has extensive experience on the boards and committees of a variety of not-for-profit organisations. Along the way she has taught conversational English to French secondary school students and English literature to university students. Rachel been a legal academic (involving teaching, research and high-level administration) at three universities.
Rachel has published six book chapters, about fifteen articles, and one book. She holds a Masters and a PhD in Creative Writing. Her current writing project is a book that straddles the genres of true crime and life-writing. Rachel recently resigned from her role as an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of a community legal centre at Monash University in Melbourne so she can focus on getting her book published.
David Meldrum
Board Member
Part-owner of Mostly Books, David is a published author, and is currently working on his fourth novel. He is a director on the board of several mental health related organisations, and volunteers as a Community Visitor. He also helps select books for customers of the Home Library service at Unley.
Truphena Mahindu
Board Member
Truphena has completed several creative writing courses at the Australian Writers Centre, focusing mainly on writing for children and young adults. She is an aspiring middle grade fiction author.
Currently, also a member of the board for the Department of Education’s Multicultural Education and Languages Committee and Glenunga International High School.
Truphena was born and raised in Kenya but has lived and worked in Australia for two decades. She’s an economist by profession, having previously worked in that role on ICRISAT and GTZ projects in Eastern and Southern Africa, Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia and BDO-Adelaide. Truphena is also actively involved in community service and leadership, for which she’s a recipient of a ministerial and a diplomatic award.
She hopes to work with Writers SA board members to help support South Australian writers to reach their fullest potential.
Our Values
Excitement
We are inspired by language and storytelling
We foster a thriving sector and community
We share our love for writing with audiences
Curiosity
We invent and experiment
We collaborate and make connections
We revel in innovative solutions
Impact
We are resilient, and good listeners
We prioritise difference, inclusivity and diversity
We make real change in communities and industry
Drive
We work towards imaginative possibilities
We learn, grow and improve
We strive to be the best organisation we can be.
Writers SA puts writing at the centre of life. Our mission is to create and sustain a community of writing and reading.
At Writers SA, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and supportive environment. We do not tolerate or support the creation, promotion, or dissemination of any works that negatively target individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or identity.
