Writing
Eli Sutherland (they/them) is passionate about creating new sci-fi and fantasy worlds, queering mononormative relationship structures through their writing, and bringing writers together. They are a non-binary, queer, and disabled creative, the Festival Director of the Trans Book Festival, the Treasurer of the Board of Overland, and studying a Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) at Deakin University.
Eli delivers literary craft and community building workshops to writers around the country including:
- Worldbuilding for Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Speculative Fiction Writing for Young Adults
- Queer/Trans Literary Speed Friending sessions
Recognition
- Awarded a 2026 Varuna Residential Fellowship for “No One Without the Other” (sapphic, polyamorous crossover fantasy novel)
- Winner, poetry category, “Cosmic Mattering” (poem), Inaugural Writing Competition, Mentone Public Library, 2025
- Longlist, “The Fox” (poem), 2024 Health Poetry Prize, University of Canberra, 2024
- Finalist, “Litha” (fiction), 2024 Pearl Prize, Midsumma Festival / Osborne and Fawkner Publishing, 2024
- Finalist, “I haven’t rewatched The Dressmaker since” (poem), 2023 Ekphrastic Poetry Prize, Frontier Poetry, 2023
- Shortlist, “The Opposite of Silence is Us” (fiction), 2023 OutStanding LGBTQIA+ Short Story Awards, Outstanding Stories, 2023
Appearances
- Panellist on “Nothing About us Without us: Accessibility in the Arts” at Odyssey Literary Festival, 2025
- Reader at “Queer Readings” line-up at National Young Writers’ Festival, 2025
- Panellist on “Maps, Myths & Magic: Building Fantasy Worlds” at National Young Writers’ Festival, 2025
- Chair of “Radical Hearts: Queer and Trans Young Adult Writing” at the inaugural Trans Book Festival, 2025
- Interviewed on Queer View Mirror, Triple R radio, 2024
- Showcase readings, various Q-Lit Festival events, 2023 – 2024
- Interviewed for The Other Me: Shadow dance radio podcast episode of Earshot on ABC Radio National, 2024
- “Nominative Determinism” (spoken word poem) read by Jasper Peach at Stripped Queer, The Wheeler Centre’s Spring Fling, 2023
- Interviewed on episode 197 of the Multiamory Podcast, 2018
Publications
- “Climate crisis is threatening disabled Australians’ access to nature” (article), ABC, 2025
- “The joys and challenges of connecting to nature as a person with disability” (article), ABC, 2025
- “Fields of red and cities of blue” (poem), Grieve Volume 12, Hunter Writers’ Centre, 2025
- “red brick scorched country” (poem), dSCRIBE: Issue 18, Darebin inSITU, 2025
- “The Fox” (poem), Cordite 117: NO THEME 14 Editorial: by Alex Creece, 2025
- “Litha” (fiction), The Pearl Prize 2024: Writers Award Anthology, Midsumma Festival / Osborne and Fawkner Publishing, 2024
- “Leaving and leaving and leaving” (creative non-fiction), Issue 15, StylusLit, 2024
- “Review of Breath by Carly-Jay Metcalfe” (creative non-fiction), Issue 30, Mascara Literary Review, 2024
- “I haven’t rewatched The Dressmaker since” (poem), New Voices, Frontier Poetry, 2024
- “Reimagining: food as a human right” (creative non-fiction), Left Brain Media, 2024
- “How do you find yourself if you’re never by yourself?” (creative non-fiction), Issue 9, Queer Out Here, 2024
- “Even if I’m not allergic” (creative non-fiction), Issue #32: Journey, SWAMP Magazine, 2024
- “Outside Heart” (poem), October ’23, ScratchThat Magazine, 2023
- “Swamphen” (poem), Into the Wetlands Poetry Anthology, The Wetlands Centre, 2023
- “Bodily autonomy: a lifelong, winding path” (creative non-fiction), Say It Out Loud, ACON, 2023
Education / Professional Development
- Master of Arts (Writing and Literature), Deakin University, 2023 – present
- Training of Trainers, Australian Progress, 2024
- Management Masterclass, Australian Progress, 2023
- Editing and Proofreading Skills for Government, IPAA Western Australia, 2021
- Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), Curtin University of Technology, 2010 – 2012
Eli Sutherland 