BookBassadors
Booktober Ambassadors
'BookBassadors'
By on
Paris Rosemont
The follow up collection to her highly acclaimed debut Banana Girl is about journeys: through love, disenchantment, and change.
With her second poetry collection, Barefoot Poetess takes readers on an intimate journey through Rosemont’s metamorphosis – from the disillusionment of fractured relationships, complexities of culture and identity, the ridiculousness of the current zeitgeist, through to – at the very heart of things, love. This collection ripples with an undercurrent of violence. Yet there is also a softness to it—a sense of hope amidst the jagged edges.
“Besides reclaiming the word ‘Poetess’ as an act of rebellion, Paris Rosemont has also reclaimed a woman’s fierce allegiance to her body, sexuality, her selfhood. Throughout this book she reclaims the language of love and her love of language,”- Dorianne Laux, Finalist: 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Author Bio:
Paris Rosemont is a Thai Australian poet and author of Banana Girl (2023) and BarefootPoetess (2025) (WestWords). Her books have been long/short-listed and awarded prizes in Australia, Greece, the UK and USA. Paris’s poetry has been widely published and awarded worldwide, including first place in the Hammond House Publishing Origins Poetry Prize 2023 (UK) and Honourable Mention in the Fish Poetry Prize 2025 (Top 10 in the world, as judged by Billy Collins).
Paris has been on judging panels including the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards 2025 and Associate Curator for the Grieve Project 2025. She is a member of the Randwick City Council Arts & Cultural Advisory Committee and sits on the Hunter Writers’ Centre Board.
Paris enjoys bringing her poetry to life via performance and has lit up stages nationwide. She also enjoys sharing her love of poetry through teaching and has facilitated workshops and masterclasses to overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception in schools, libraries, writers’ festivals, and literary organisations including Writing NSW.
"Reading and writing are pathways to worlds beyond us. Books can transport, delight, challenge, and expand our minds, providing us with intellectual, emotional, and spiritual nourishment. Literacy matters. Access to learning and enrichment matters. The collective voices of the marginalised matter. We need to nurture our future so the future will be bright." Paris Rosemont
We're thrilled to have Paris supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Or Support a Bookworm like Paris at booktober.org.au/users/paris-rose
Anne Casey
“MAKING AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO A VITAL CONVERSATION ON HUNGER, MIGRATIONAND DISPLACEMENT.”
— President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins
“A FURIOUS, GRACEFUL AND DEEPLY MOVING WORK OF LITERARY WITNESS.”
— Professor Eamonn Wall, Poet, Academic, Smurfit-Stone Professor of Irish Studies, University of Missouri-St Louis
Author Bio:
Originally from Ireland and living in Australia for three decades, Anne Casey is the author of six poetry collections. Her work is widely published and awarded internationally, ranking in The Irish Times’ Most Read. Anne’s most recent awards include the American Writers Review Prize, AAALS Poetry Prize, Henry Lawson Poetry Prize and the iWoman Global Award for Literature. Anne has worked in publishing for more than 30 years. She holds a PhD in archival poetry and poetics of resistance from the University of Technology Sydney where she researches and teaches creative writing.
"At any age, reading helps us to learn about the breadth of human experience, about our impact in and on this precious world we share, about its and our extraordinary potential. As a writer, I hope to connect and uplift, to leave behind evidence of what we loved and cared about." Anne Casey
We're thrilled to have Anne supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Or Support a Bookworm like Anne at booktober.org.au/users/anne-casey
Louise Park
Hannah and Jake Vann-Wong live in the wackiest house on Caper Street, and life at number 9 is a blast - until the day a sold sign goes up on the house across the road.
When the Cruellys move in, stuff begins to happen - funny stuff, weird stuff, and stuff that isn’t funny at all.
It’s time to learn the Vann-Wong family’s ancient secrets, unlock the vault and access special powers handed down from generation to generation to stop them.
A transforming dog, a sister struggling to master shape-shifting, and a pile of gear with no instructions - what could possibly go wrong?
Author Bio:
Louise Park is one of Australia's leading children's authors, publishers and educational consultants. She has had over 20 years experience in teaching, publishing, seminar presenting and writing both fiction and nonfiction.
"Reading is like stepping into someone else’s shoes—you get to see, feel, and understand the world through their eyes. Writing is your chance to share your story so others can walk beside you. Together, they grow your imagination, build empathy, and connect us all through the power of words." Louise Park
We're thrilled to have Louise supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Susanne Gervey
Parrot Palace is an open invitation from the heart to step into a multi-hued, multicultural, inclusive world where difference is celebrated, tradition is valued, and the language of love is spoken. It certainly does 'make the world a better place' A Must Read!' - Professor Meenakshi Bharat, Head of English, University of Delhi.
Three inventive and daring kids, along with their families, live in a three-story apartment block called' Parrot Palace'.
Hari, Lily-Rosa, and Mikey come from different cultures, but their differences unite them as they form a close-knit team. They share their secrets as they navigate their dreams and challenges.
Will Mikey become a joker or follow in his dad's footsteps as a builder? Can Lily-Rosa balance her dreams of becoming a firefighter, and a ballerina? And will Hari fix the disaster he created for his Nani and mother?
They join together and confront their arch enemy, the neighbour Mr Crabtree. It is here, that they eventually find the real answers to friendship.
Author Bio:
Planting mangroves in Kiribati, speaking to audiences in Istanbul, reaching indigenous children in the Outback, Susanne Gervay spreads hope through her writing. Awarded an OAM and Social Justice Literature Award by International Literacy Association she reaches into amazing stories. Find her escape route in Heroes of the Secret Underground; fly on an elephant in Elephants Have Wings; discover Parrot Palace and friends who will be your best mate and Guess How I Was Born . Secret, Susanne wasn’t born in a supermarket.
"Reading is your place to think, image, invent. Fly on an elephant in Elephants have Wings. Discover the Heroes of the Secret Underground. Succeed against bullying with I Am Jack books. Find your answers and dreams. It’s there in the books that you uncover." Susanne Gervay
We're thrilled to have Susanne supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Or support a bookworm like Susanne at booktober.org.au/users/susanne-gervay
Chris Fleming
Author Bio:
Chris Fleming is an award-winning Australian author, translator, artist, and academic. He is the author or editor of ten books, including On Drugs (Giramondo). His work has appeared in places such as The Guardian, HEAT, LitHub, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Overland.
"Reading is indispensable in ways impossible to summarise in just a few lines. For one thing, it trains our brains; it teaches us how to think in a way no other medium can. And it also allows us to get outside the demands of fashion and the short-sighted dictatorship of the living - it’s one of the few ways the dead can still speak to us from beyond the grave." Chris Fleming
We're thrilled to have Chris supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Or support a bookworm like Chris at booktober.org.au/users/chris-fleming
Michael Adams
Author Bio:
Michael is a history and true crime author and podcaster based in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Australia. He has had sixteen books published. They include history and true crime, cinema studies and personal memoir, and young adult and middle-grade fiction. He is the creator and host of the podcast Forgotten Australia, which is Australia’s leading independent history podcast, with over six million downloads since 2018. He is also a public speaker and regular guest on Australian media, specialising in Australian history and true crime.
"Reading is one of the best ways to experience the world around us and to understand how other people experience this thing we call life. It simultaneously answers and poses questions, expanding our understanding and deepens our curiosity. Even better: we can range through time and space from the comfort of our own homes. Writing helps us understand our own lives, our own thoughts and feelings, and communicate them to the world. These stories - what we read, what we write - are what make us human. Plus - they're two of the most fun things you can do, every day, for free!" Michael Adams
We're thrilled to have Michael supporting Booktober as one of our special BookBassadors, helping the next generation in Western Sydney and regional NSW find their voice - and maybe even become one of the BookBassadors you’ll read about in the future.
Donate today at booktober.org.au/donate
Or support a bookworm like Michael at booktober.org.au/users/michael-adams