Bravewords

What happens when a 17 year old policeman is given guns... lots of guns. Ross Markey is a Central Coast write. His work has been published in Island Magazine. Ross was in the youngest squad of the last intake of 16 year olds into the Victoria Police Force.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

A new dad takes on the role of primary carer to follow his wife to Singapore for her career opportunities.Toby’s childhood memoir ‘Two Mums & a Dad’ was published in 2021. The promotional rounds for that book included interviews on TV and radio, coverage in newspapers, and talks at writers festivals and libraries. A number of Toby’s short stories have been published in magazines, converted into podcasts and broadcast on radio. As part of his day job, Toby has written boring articles for journals, industry papers, and broadsheets.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

When Jay's gardener needed a favour, it changed her life. Jay says that in regards to her age, she’s ‘abovethe upper age limit for just about everything.’ I live locally with my cat ‘The Gorgeous One’I’ve lived in Australia for 40 years; emigratedfrom England but am an ex-South AfricanI’m a retired business-owner. Her work has been publishedin NSW Seniors’ Stories Anthology Volume 11. I’m loving my renewed interest in writing thanks tothe lovely Adrienne.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Amy Anshaw-Nye is a writer, zinester and essayist living in Western Sydney. Her works explore themes of love, transformation, madness, redemption, and queer identity.She is a WestWords Academy alum and was a recipient of the 2023 WestWords-Varuna Emerging Writers’ Residency. She is also founder of a zine press, where she publishes zines about life, pop culture, and queer love.Amy’s has been published in BAD Western Sydney, ZineWest, and Verandah Journal.She’s currently working on Ebb Tide, an historical sapphic romance novel set in 1960s Australia. Music Courtesy of Sean Peter

A beautiful behind the scenes story from the world of musical theatre. Guy Noble has conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Western Australian, Tasmanian, Queensland and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, the Auckland Philharmonia, Hong Kong Symphony and Malaysian and Bergen Philharmonic orchestras.He is the host and accompanist each year for Great Opera Hits (Opera Australia) in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House. He conducted Opera Queensland’s 2014 production of La Boheme, Opera in the Alps (2008-2017)and Opera in the Markets (2009-2017). He is conductor and host for the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Classics Unwrapped series at the Adelaide Town Hall, and conductor and host for the Queensland Symphony’s Music on Sundays series at QPAC.Guy has worked with a wide variety of international performers with orchestras across Australia, including Harry Connick Jnr, Ben Folds, The Beach Boys, Dianne Reeves, Glenn Frey, Randy Newman, Clive James, Conchita, The Two Cellos, Alfie Boe, Olivia Newton John, Paloma Faith, Ruthie Henshall and Meow Meow.He is also the host of Concert Hall on Qantas Inflight.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

What's driving this young mans obsession with his idol, Robbie Williams? Andrew Henry is a Sydney theatre producer. His company, Andrew Henry Presents headlined the Sydney Opera House with Michael Sheen in Amadeus.He reimagined Death of a Salesman with Anthony LaPaglia in a national smash-hit.the landmark stage adaptation of Max Porter’s Grief is the Thing with Feathers, in collaboration with Belvoir Street, won 5 Sydney theatre Awards. This year he’s about to bring back the global phenomenonPrima Facie to Sydney and Melbourne in May/June.

Weddings are beautiful... but we're also just humans trying to get along!Jelena Curic is a writer of literary fiction, crime, and comedy. She is also the resident Diva in the Croatian community, singing most weekends. A 2023 Westwords Alumni, her stories can be found in Westwords Bad Western Sydney, Bad Western Sydney. The Second Case, Living Stories the Other City, Short Stories Unlimited Leaving Home Anthology and Written Off Literary Journal. She was also shortlisted for the Born Writers Award 2023 and 2024.She has read at Bravewords, was a panellist at BAD Crime Festival 2024, alongside Candace Fox and Dinuka McKenzie, and was accepted into the 2024 Accelerator program with Westwords and Parramatta City Council. Her debut novel, Sing To Me, was released in September 2025 through Westwords Books.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Theatre in Education! Someone's got to do it! Duncan is an actor living on Darkinjung land on the coast. He has worked in Australian TV, theatre and voice-over for the last 20 years (and then some). Credits include Reckless (SBS), He Had it Coming (Stan), Deadloch, The Letdown, We Interrupt This Broadcast, The Messenger, At Home with Julia, Laid, Comedy Inc, Life Support, All Saints and Home and Away. When he can’t get a gig on screen, Duncan moonlights as alter ego Glenn Twenty <Glenntwenty.com.au> He teaches drama to students on the coast and in Sydney. Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Linda is a medical practitioner and writer. She works across essay, memoir and fiction. She has been widely published, featuring in Australian Book review, Kill Your Darlings, Westwords Living Stories, Zinewest, Grieve 2024 and Persephone Literary Journal, amongst others.Her debut novel will be published in February 2027 by Summit Simon and Schuster, and she is currently featuring in Parramatta's Lit as a storyteller alongside several other Bravewords performers. Her first play, The Leftovers, is to be performed as a rehearsed reading at Riverside Theatre in September.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Luke Carman’s debut work of fiction, An Elegant Young Man, won the 2014 NSW Premier’s New Writing Award and was shortlisted for the ALS Gold Medal, the Steele Rudd Short Story Prize and the Readings New Writing Award. His essay collection, Intimate Antipathies, was published in June 2019. His collection of stories, An Ordinary Ecstasy, was published in July 2022. Luke is the 2025 Judy Harris Writer-in-Residence Fellow at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre.Music courtesy of Sean Peter

Stephanie was brought up in Penrith – when it was still a semi-rural town, rather than an outer suburb of Sydney. Stephanie left school at 15, doing a variety of jobs while trying to complete my education: cleaning, nursing aide, process worker.Most of Steph's working life was spent in Sydney courts andtribunals, as a transcription typist, then training court typists and recording monitors.Steph moved to Wyong 15 years ago. It reminds her of the Penrith she grew up in.Music courtesy of Sean Peter.

Ross Markey is a Central Coast writer. Music Courtesy of Sean Peter.