Lesley Synge – writer & poet, teacher & mentor

Lesley was born under the Tropic of Capricorn. She writes in many genres, always with a passion to connect and share insights into the human condition. She welcomes invitations to give author talks, to mentor individual writers, and to teach writing across the community.

Lesley holds teaching and writing qualifications from University of Queensland (BA, Dip Ed, MA). She has also studied writing for stage, film & TV.

Awards

She is the winner of various awards for fiction including Ravello Tales (Italy) 2018 (When Giuseppe Met Jackie) and Interactive Press Fiction Award 2002 (Cry Ma Ma to the Moon). Awards for short non-fiction works include the Arts Central Queensland Lorna McDonald Essay Prize 2020 and 2018 and runner-up in 2019. Residencies have been held in Launceston, Katoomba and another in Ravello, Italy, is due.

Background

After an early career as high school teacher, Lesley became a published writer and was soon teaching writing across the community. She founded Real Life Stories in 1996 to meet a community need and has now helped thousands of people – from Far North Queensland to the Gold Coast and ‘out West’ – to write about their lives. She has mentored new writers such as Bob Cleland (Big Road) and supported whole communities to create anthologies (she is the editor of Nine Lives: Personal Stories of Mental Illness and Black Possum Diaries from the Sunshine Coast hinterland). In 2006 she founded the writing consultancy Zing Stories. She tutored University of Queensland’s first creative writing course for undergraduates and regularly mentors clients of Queensland Writers Centre’s Writers Surgery program. Besides teaching writing in numerous Australian locations, she has presented workshops in New Zealand and Italy.

A former high school librarian, she is a lifelong supporter of libraries. The Fryer Library, State Library of Queensland, Northern Territory Library and a number of municipal libraries all hold archives donated by Lesley.

A founding member of Queensland Writers Centre, Oral History Association (Qld), and a publishing co-op in Maleny, her early credits are under the name Lesley Singh. She is currently a member of the Queensland Writers Centre, Australian Society of Authors and various history associations. Lesley acknowledges grants from Arts Queensland, Australia Council, Regional Arts Development Fund (Caloundra City Council) and University of Queensland Graduate School in the early part of her career.

Bookings

If you’d like to book Lesley for an author event or workshop, please use the Contact page to have a chat about it.

A poem from Organic Sister (Post Pressed, 2005)

Readers Anonymous

Hello, my name’s Lesley
and I’m addicted.
It was unintentional
but you’ll appreciate
books
when they landed on my pillow
lingered.
I liked their intelligence.
That’s how it started…”