Emily Bitto

Emily Bitto is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. She has a Masters in Literary Studies and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Melbourne. Her debut novel, The Strays, was shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript, and the published novel went on to win the 2015 Stella Prize. The Strays was published in the US, UK, Canada and Portugal, and rights for a television adaptation are currently under option. Her second novel, Wild Abandon, was published in October 2021 by Allen and Unwin. Emily's work has appeared widely in Australian publications including Meanjin, The Age, The Monthly, The Saturday Paper and The Big Issue. She has been teaching creative writing for over a decade, and is currently a teacher and course advisor at the Faber Writing Academy. She also co-owns Carlton wine bar Heartattack and Vine, and a new bar in Brunswick West called Shabooh Shoobah.