Bridgetown Writers Fest

Bianca Breen is a professional book nerd and Perth-based author. Passionate about the Australian book community, Bianca founded YA for WA in 2021 and regularly champions teen/YA readers and writers through events, workshops, and community projects. Bianca is the author of YA novels including Made of Steam and Stardust and Hero Heart. In 2021, she won the ASA Award Mentorship and has received multiple writing residencies. She holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (Writing) from La Trobe University.

Sarah, an ex-pat journalist and former home-schooling mum, is the author of a lifestyle/recipe book Seasons and Seasonings in a Teapot, romance and crime novels, novellas, short stories, songs and poetry. She teaches memoir, creative writing, poetry and song-writing and gives author talks. When not writing, she potters on the family's patch of Bridgetown paradise, accompanied by fur, feather and grandchildren.

A crime and romance writer, Sarah Evans also dabbles in spec-fic, fantasy and a touch of horror. She especially enjoys writing rom-com-crime. After all, who doesn’t love a little pash, spiced with black humour and with a thrilling, blood-curdling twist thrown in for good measure? See Clan Destine Press for more info and purchase links.

Steve is an award-winning children’s book author passionate about social and emotional well-being. With over forty decades of experience and 15,000 hours in conversation with children about a myriad of issues, Steve has honed his skills in helping children understand and manage their emotions, which he translates into his writing. When he’s not hanging out with his feathered friends, the local cheeky magpies, or reminiscing about his puppetry and TV presenter days, he’s crafting stories that touch and tickle the hearts of children. Read more at https://steveheron.com

Wendy lives in Maranup with her family, dogs, goats, alpacas, bees and chickens. She's the author of multiple queer romantic fantasy ebooks including the Artisans duology and the Viking-inspired Little Wolf and the Witch. She also writes WA historical walks with a puzzle twist, found at WA Detective Trails.

Fantasy fiction with entertaining characters, enjoyably perilous adventures, romantic entanglements, some dark undertones, but always happy, hopeful endings. Find them in ebook and print at your favourite retailer/library, or order indie-direct via the website.

Panelists from left to right:

Richard Allen

Richard is Secretary of BHS and is a keen genealogist and historian. He enjoys uncovering mysteries and delving into the past which provide the material for talks, Ghost Walks and cemetery tours conducted by BHS.

Mary Elgar

Mary is an historian, editor, published author and Chairperson of Bridgetown Historical Society (BHS). In 2018 she wrote A Mere Country Village, that used over 43 oral histories dating back to the 1930s to create a book showing how Bridgetown’s community was built. And she has compiled and edited the latest book for Bridgetown Historical Society The Lost Orchards of Bridgetown their recipes their stories their history.

Captain Simon Walker

Simon is Vice Chairperson of BHS is an amateur genealogist who has traced his maternal family tree back to the Merovingian kings in 5th Century France and his paternal line to the open cast coal mines of the 17th Century Peak District in England.

Bridgetown was gazetted in June 1868. Its history is rich and varied, with residents coming from every social class throughout those years. To celebrate the sesquicentenary of gazettal, Bridgetown Historical Society undertook an oral history project to demonstrate how a community was formed, what sustained it and how it grew into the vibrant town we now live in.

 Forty-three residents, both past and present, were interviewed and their stories, along with stories... taken in the 1930s, 1970s and 1980s, have been woven into the chronicle of this town, showing that communities will survive if they care for each other, volunteer gladly and grasp opportunities when they appear.

 It is a tribute to the early settlers who were not put off by adversity, and the past and present Bridgetonians who chose to live here and make Bridgetown their home.

 Available in paperback from the Visitors Centre ($35) or by mail (+$16 postage), or as an ebook ($9.99).