Catherine Bateson – November 4 2018

Catherine grew up in a second-hand bookshop in Brisbane. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland, with a major in Art History. Her other works include The Year It All Happened, which is the verse novel sequel to A Dangerous Girl, and the poetry collections Pomegranates from the Underworld and The Vigilant Heart, which includes her long poem about the legendary white woman found shipwrecked among the Kuarareg islanders of Torres Strait. She has written several novels and also writes books for young children. Her work has been read on radio and featured on television and she has appeared at various poetry and writers festivals throughout Australia. Catherine has taught creative writing for the past thirteen years and currently teaches Professional Writing and Editing at Federation Training. She conducts writing workshops in schools, teaches poetry at The Avenue Neighbourhood House and short courses in Literature at the CAE. Catherine co-ordinated La Mama Poetica at La Mama Theatre in Melbourne and is a partner in Tyle&Bateson publishing and editing service.

A Dangerous Girl [Verse novel]
University of Queensland Press, 2000; ISBN 9780702231681
Young adult
‘All I had were some plans that went awry and a woman whose skin wore my fingerprints for nearly a summer.’ Merri, John, Leigh and Nick are positioned like the four points of a gameboard. Gentle John is Dungeon Master and a craftsman of wood, but can he master the manipulative and ambitious Leigh? His sister Merri is seduced by the glamour of the stage, but her attention turns to Nick and his email haikus…. This energetic verse novel for young adults is at turns lyrical and amusing. It explores with sensitivity the emotional games played by teenagers and their parents and the compelling crossover of fantasy and reality in their daily lives.

His Name in Fire [Verse novel]
University of Queensland Press, 2006; ISBN 9780702234781
Young adult
His Name in Fire is told from three points of view: Molly, a circus worker, employed to engage bored and disaffected local youth; Matthew, a teenager and son of TJ the local blues man; and Emma, the snakeman’s daughter. Matthew is in love with Emma. Emma is new to town, a loner trying to come to terms with her mother’s rejection. Each of these characters is confronting a major crisis and trying to make sense out of it. Set against the backdrop of a country town the very real issues of unemployment, lack of educational opportunities, lack of facilities, drought and poverty in outback Australia are skilfully woven into the narrative without ever being preachy. His Name in Fire is a celebration of community in a country town. It is a beautiful novel about relationships, love and trust.