The Hunter Writers' Centre Board
Glenn Beatty
President
Glenn Stuart Beatty was raised in the Hunter Valley Region of NSW and studied at the University of Newcastle, Central Queensland University, Macquarie University and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and holds degrees in Arts, Law and Cultural Studies. He has been writing poetry for many years and his first book of poetry, The Saxophone Injuries was published in 1991. His work has been published in a number of journals and appears in the anthologies Visions from the Valley and Brew and a number of annual Poetry at the Pub collections. Glenn was the editor of the anthologies The Wind Over Moon Marked Skies and Listening to What the Land has to Say. He has been a member of Poetry at the Pub since its inception in 1988 and has served as Secretary and President. He has had a number of plays performed over the years by Mission Theatre, Freewheels and the University of Newcastle. His first novel, A Long the River Run was published in 2022 by Soap and Candle Press. Glenn was previously the President of Hunter Writers Centre for a number of years in the early 2000s and is excited to be back on board.
Rosmairi Dawson
Secretary / Treasurer
Rosmairi Dawson has extensive prior experience on boards and committees and is joining Hunter Writers’ Centre’s board to share that expertise and provide support to the centre in systems, governance and funding attraction. Rosmairi considers herself more a patron of the arts and is not a writer as such. She hopes to contribute her diverse business experience to the running of the centre in collaboration with the Director and the rest of the board. Rosmairi’s experience includes organisation establishment, board membership and chair positions, business management, event coordination, grant writing, financial management, governance and many years of working voluntarily in her community. Rosmairi’s work and board history can be viewed via her LinkedIn profile.
David-Jack Fletcher
David-Jack holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Macquarie University, and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Editing and Publishing from the University of Southern Queensland. He was awarded a mentorship with the Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) in 2022, undertaken with Paul Mannering. He specialises in LGBTQI+ fiction, horror/thriller, and dark fiction manuscripts. His most recent project is an historical romance.
David-Jack has published short stories in several horror anthologies across the UK, US and Canada, and has appeared in international podcasts/interviews. He is the author of the gay horror-comedy, The Haunting of Harry Peck, and his second title, Raven’s Creek is currently being optioned by several international publishers.
Dr. Jonathan Drane
Jon is a veteran researcher, academic, writer and practitioner in the Built Environment and a recognised expert on the development of our cities, their sustainability and survival. Jon is the editor of The City Whisperer (on jondrane.net) which advocates for change in the way we interact with our cities and towns and their future. Jon has received academic awards for his research, and a NSW Writers Award for his book on the Camino de Santiago called The Way of a Thousand Arrows. He has recently moved to Newcastle and is enjoying the change from his life in Sydney where he worked and lived for many years.
Ed Wright
Ed Wright is a writer, publisher, editor, critic and educator. His latest book of poetry, his third is Gas Deities (Puncher & Wattmann 2020). He is the author of eight non-fiction books including the best-selling Left Handed History of the World and a prize-winning novella, An End to Hope. He is the founding director of the Creative Word Shop which teaches Creative Writing to adults and children and provides editing and manuscript assessment services. He is also a Publisher and part-owner of the indie press Puncher and Wattmann. Books he has edited have been short-listed for a number of awards including the Miles Franklin and Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. He lives in Newcastle with his wife and kids and likes to play the harmonica when not lost in books.
The Hunter Writers' Centre Staff
Katherine McLean
Director
Katherine has spent two decades in arts and non-profit organisations, working across artistic disciplines such as theatre, puppetry, community cultural development, and digital storytelling.
Keighley Bradford
Membership, Publishing and Media
Keighley is our membership coordinator, our social media manager, and prepares our publications. Keighley has a Masters in Creative Industries from the University of Newcastle specialising in Writing, Publishing, and Marketing.
Jasmine Sullivan
Administration
Jasmine completed an internship at Lighthouse Arts in 2021 and is now employed by us. She has a Bachelor of Arts (History and English) and is currently undertaking Honours in English Literature.
Clare Weeks
Exhibitions Coordinator
Clare is a practicing Artist and has held positions in Education and Arts as Associate Lecturer, Academic, Photography Teacher and Curator. She has a PhD (Fine Art) from the University of Newcastle.
Jacqueline Williams
Bookkeeper
Jacqueline is our Bookkeeper. She has 30+ years experience working with Not-for-Profit organisations. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters in Business Administration.
