Susan Hawthorne

Susan Hawthorne is a poet, novelist and non-fiction writer. Her books have been finalists in many awards including poetry titles Cow for the 2012 Kenneth Slessor Poetry Prize, NSW Premier's Literary Award and 2012 Audre Lorde Lesbian Poetry Award (USA), Earth's Breath, 2010 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. Her novel The Falling Woman was listed as one of the Best Books of the Year in The Australian and a Top Twenty Title in the Listener Women's Book Festival (NZ), Wild Politics was listed as a Best Book of the Year in ABR and The Spinifex Quiz Book was a Finalist in the Australian Educational Awards.

Susan loves ancient languages and has studied Ancient Greek, Sanskrit and Latin. She is also an aerialist and has performed solo and in the Performing Older Women's Circus as well as Melbourne's Women's Circus. She is fascinated by physics, mythology and story telling of all kinds.

She holds a PhD in Political Science and Women's Studies and has written extensively about ecology, radical feminism, economics, war and international relations. In recent years she has researched the terrible torture of lesbians and written about human rights in relation to lesbians.

She is an Adjunct Professor in the Writing Program and James Cook University, Townsville and has supervised postgraduate students in fiction, poetry and publishing studies for almost twenty years. She is also co-founder and director of the independent feminist publishing house, Spinifex Press which publishes international and local feminist books and eBooks.