About Kelly

My name’s Kelly Gardiner, and I’m the host and teacher of New Page writing masterclasses and retreats. Here you can learn about me, and my teaching philosophy, to help you decide if these masterclasses and retreats are for you.

Photo: Sister Scout

I’ve published a dozen books, edited newspapers and magazines, and taught writing in university and community settings for many years. So I’m a writer. That’s my job. But I do love teaching, and so I’ve decided to run classes on a few topics that interest me or on issues that people struggle with, and to provide retreats that combine hands-on learning, writing, and community.

I offer years of writing, editing and publishing experience, combined with a thoughtful and (if I do say so myself) engaging teaching style. From time to time, I’ll also invite fellow writers to teach alongside me.

I live in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia, and Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, New Zealand. I honour the traditional owners of the lands on which I live, write and teach.

Here’s a summary of my background, but for more information about my books and work, go to my website.

Writing & publishing expertise

My new adult novel, co-written with Sharmini Kumar, is Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective, is published worldwide by HarperCollins.

My most recent series is The Firewatcher Chronicles, time slip novels for readers aged eight to twelve. The books in the series are Brimstone (2018), Phoenix (2020) and Vigil (2020) – all published by Scholastic.

My previous book, 1917: Australia’s Great War, is set on the Western Front and in Melbourne during the First World War. It was shortlisted for the Young People’s History Prize in the NSW Premier’s History Awards, and for the Asher Award, and was a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book.

Goddess (Fourth Estate, 2014) is a novel based on the remarkable life of the seventeenth century French swordswoman and opera singer, Julie d’Aubigny. Goddess is being adapted for the screen by Deux Dames Entertainment.

My other books include The Sultan’s Eyes and Act of Faith, historical novels for young adults set during the time of the English Civil Wars and the Inquisition. Both books were shortlisted for the Ethel Turner Prize in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and Act of Faith was also shortlisted for the Gold Inky Award, and Highly Commended in the Barbara Jefferis Award. Both were Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Notable Books.

My books for younger readers are the ‘Swashbuckler’ adventure trilogy –Ocean Without End, The Pirate’s Revenge and The Silver Swan – and a picture book, Billabong Bill’s Bushfire Christmas.

My poems have been published in journals such as Southerly, Going Down Swinging, The Australian Women’s Book Review, Mattoid and Veranda.

My academic writing has been published locally and internationally in journals and collections including Imagining Gender in Biographical Fiction, TEXT and Feminist Encounters journals, Fluid Gender: Fluid Love, and Conversations with biographical novelists: truthful fictions across the globe.

I’ve edited and managed newspapers, magazines, and websites, and my features, book reviews and travel writing have appeared in magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, Marie Claire, New Idea, and Australian Good Taste.

Work & teaching

I worked at the gorgeous State Library of Victoria for ten years, including years as Learning Design Manager, creating and delivering adult learning and professional development for librarians and teachers.

Most recently I’ve worked as a Senior Lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing at La Trobe University in Melbourne. There, I supervised leading authors undertaking PhD projects, and re-imagined and taught the undergraduate subjects Writing Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and Writers in Action. One of the things I loved most was initiating and coordinating the Writers on Campus author panel series as part of Literary La Trobe.

I often appear at writers festivals and events, and lead writing workshops in schools, libraries, bookshops, universities, conferences, festivals, and for Writers Victoria. I’ve been awarded fellowships and residencies by Varuna National Writers House, Bundanon, the May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust, Salamanca Arts Centre, and the State Library of Victoria.

I’m currently on the board of directors of the Australian Society of Authors and President of Sisters in Crime Australia.

I have a PhD in English (creative writing), Master of Arts in Literature (Australian landscape poetry), Bachelor of Arts in Writing & Editing, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Curriculum, Teaching & Learning. (I also have a First Aid Certificate, just in case, but hope we’ll never need it!)

In 2023 I retired from academia to focus on my own writing and to create New Page Masterclasses. I’m now a Senior Adjunct Research Fellow at La Trobe University.