Modern Life

Madeleine Gray is a writer and critic from Sydney. She has written for Overland, the Guardian, BBC, The Monthly, Sydney Review of Books, and other publications. In 2019 she was a CA-SRB Emerging Critic, and in 2021 she was a finalist for the Pascall Prize for Arts Criticism. She has an MSt in English from the University of Oxford and is a current doctoral candidate at the University of Manchester. Green Dot is her first novel. 

Bri Lee is the multi-award-winning author of Eggshell Skull, Beauty, and Who Gets to Be Smart. Her journalism, essays, and short stories have been published widely, and she is the creator and editor of News & Reviews. 

Siang Lu is the author of Ghost Cities and The Whitewash and co-creator of The Beige Index. The Whitewash won the ABIA Audiobook of the Year in 2023, the Glendower Emerging Writer Award at the Queensland Literary Awards, and was shortlisted for a NSW Premiers Literary Award.

In 2023 he was one of the Top 40 Under 40 Asian-Australians at the Asian-Australian Leadership Awards.

Siang has written for film and television for Singapore's Beach House Pictures and Malaysia's Astro network.

Amy Lovat is a writer, editor and the founder of Secret Book Stuff. She has a PhD in English and Writing from the University of Newcastle and lives with her partner Laura, two dogs, and thousands of books across unceded Awabakal and Gadigal Country in NSW. Amy is the current program manager of Newcastle Writers Festival. Her debut novel, Mistakes and Other Lovers was published by Pan Macmillan in 2023.

Adrian Todd Zuniga is the host and creator of Literary Death Match; author of the award-nominated novel, Collision Theory; the WGA Award-nominated screenwriter of LONGSHOT (featuring Mahershala Ali); and director of the short film HOLD ME, DON’T TOUCH ME. He just moved to Australia, and is excited to become one of your best friends, and say yes to your house- and dinner-party invites.