I’m a Tasmanian writer of fiction, essays, poetry and experimental nature writing. In recent years, I’ve been one of the nation’s most widely published writers of short stories. My debut short fiction collection, What Fear Was, is available in print or as an ebook.
I’m a past fiction editor at Island Magazine. I also curated Island’s Australian Nature Writing project, and was founding editor of the magazine’s online journal. I’m the author of two previous short books, Below Tree Level and Conglomerate. Conglomerate was published as part of the Lost Rocks series, and shortlisted in the Tasmanian Premier’s Literary Prizes.
I’ve curated two anthologies of Tasmanian fiction, I Sleep in Haysheds and Corners and Seven Stories, and was assistant editor of The Abels V.1, a mountain climbing guide. Together with Jane Rawson, I edited Breathing Space, a collection of essays, stories and poems reflecting on Tasmanian relationships with nature.
My stories, essays and poems have been produced for Radio National, and published in Lithub (USA), Meanjin, Guardian Australia, Poetry Ireland Review, Island, Overland, Dark Mountain (UK), New Australian Fiction, The Best Australian Science Writing, The Saturday Paper, The Lifted Brow, Southerly, Australian Book Review, The Canary Press, The Canberra Times, The Big Issue, Westerly, Kill Your Darlings, The Review of Australian Fiction, Antipodes (USA), Cordite Poetry Review, Best Summer Stories (Black Inc.), Mascara Literary Review and Griffith Review.
I’ve guest edited for Overland and Communion literary journals, and worked on collaborations and commissions for the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, the Red Room Company, A Festival Called Panama, The Bett Gallery, Contemporary Art Tasmania, The Herald Sun, The Monash University Museum of Art, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, and the Wild Island Gallery. I’ve been a guest of the The Emerging Writers’ Festival, the Australian Short Story Festival, the Kyogle Writers’ Festival, the Noted Festival, the Tamar Valley Writers’ Festival, the Tasmanian Writers’ Festival, the Junction Festival, and the Tasmanian Poetry Festival. I’ve received funding from the Australia Council and Arts Tasmania, and worked as a peer assessor for both. I’ve been Artist in Residence at St Michael’s Collegiate and Digital Writer in Residence for Writing Australia. I’ve lectured in the creative writing program at the University of Tasmania.
Contact me:
Professional enquiries: Martin Shaw at Shaw Literary (martin@thebooksdesk.com).
Ben Walter 