I am a writer, comedian, author of ten books, and a speaker. I’m no longer interested in performing, I now consider myself primarily a writer, teacher and creative community builder. 

I’m well known for my work as a columnist with The Age newspaper, as a Melbourne International Comedy Festival favourite,  an ABC regular and the founder and creator of Gunnas Writing Masterclass.  I have published over 1000 columns with The Age newspaper, appeared on ABC’s QandA six times and participated in the Emmy award winning Go Back To Where You Came From on SBS television with Angry Anderson and Peter Reith in 2012.

I am the creator of Australia’s most popular and successful writing community Gunnas Writing Masterclass, (10,000 people since 2014 can’t be wrong).  The brand has expanded to online monthly meetups, weekend retreats, workshops, and more recently Gunnas International, a 10 day writers retreat in Paris and Provence for writers and people who love them. During Covid lockdowns I wrote, filmed, produced, and presented a series of 30 free online writing YouTube videos to give people something to look forward to and help them feel connected. I am currently creating an Instagram series of 100 writing tasks, tips, tricks, and stimuli to inspire and motivate people with the inclination to write. 

I regularly teach writing at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. I have made online writing classes for staff, carers, volunteers, and people living with cancer. I am incredibly proud of the the book I made with the participants ‘Stories From Peter Mac’. I co-ordinated the pieces, encouraged and championed the writers, organised the publishing, and lead the marketing.  We are on track to publish a second volume in 2024. 

I am the author of ten books; ‘It’s Not My Fault They Print Them’ (2007), ‘Say When’ (2008), ‘Free To A Good Home’ (2009), ‘The Happiness Show’ (2012),  ‘Use Your Words’ ( 2016),  ‘Mental’, co written with psychiatrist Dr. Steve Ellen,  (2018) and ‘True North: A Memoir’ (2022) are all published by Black Inc. Books. ‘Rank And Smelly’ (1997) is published by Addison, Wesley, Longman. ‘Babies, Bellies, and Blundstones’, (1999), and ‘Our New Baby’ (2005) are both published by Lothian Books.  ‘Our New Baby’ was shortlisted for a Children’s Book Council Of Australia award.

I have contributed to numerous  literary compilations including  Destroying The Joint, Stamping Ground, Mothermorphois, and From The Outer. You’ll find my writing in places like Guardian, The Stick, Paper Sea Quarterly, Meanjin and ABC Online, and The Drum.

I have worked regularly as a corporate speaker, conference emcee, after dinner entertainment, panel member, debate participant, and guest lecturer.  I work with organisations such as Law Institute of Victoria, Attorney General’s Department, Australian Law Reform Commission, The Shannon Company, Beyond Blue, Melbourne University’s Centre For Ideas And Writing and dozens of local progressive businesses and artists. I work privately as a cultural therapist and mental health doula.

I started my career as a stand up  comedian at the age of 23 after graduating from La Trobe University with a Bachelor Of Arts and soon ended up writing comedy for television. My early television work included Network Seven’s Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, Full Frontal, ABC TV’s Good News Week, BackBerner, Network 10’s Rove Live, The Wedge and skitHOUSE and The Project. I have performed regularly on radio and television over the last almost three decades and was a popular fill in broadcaster on 774 ABC Melbourne. 

I have written for the Logie Awards, the Aria Music Awards and co-wrote the 2005 AFI Awards with Russell Crow. My voice has ranged from polemic to compassionate, stand up to sermon, joke writer to speech writer. I have performed everywhere from the Victorian Arts Centre to Splendour In The Grass.

I was named in the Top 100 Most Influential Melburnians in 2008. I am atheist,  dyslexic and live with bipolar disorder. I was a member of the Federal Government’s working part on dyslexia. My extensive charity and community work includes, Asylum Seeker’s Resource Centre, homeless women, and Broken Rites. I am a proud ambassador for Dying With Dignity Victoria, was an ambassador for the 2010 International Day of People with Disability, a No To Homophobia Community Champion and one of the founding members of Friends of Public Housing. I am a self appointed commuter cyclist ambassador and the creator and curator of Pushy Women, a series of eight events over eight years where high profile women celebrated the role of cycling in their life.  Our Pushy Women included mensches like Helen Garner, Clementine Ford, Kitty Flanagan, Rebecca Barnard, Fiona Patten, Cal Wilson, Kate Miller-Heidke, and Miranda Tapsell. 

I am the presenter, writer and producer of the short film Atheist Alphabet answering the most frequently asked questions about atheism. I opened the The 2010 Global Atheist Convention with a ten minute stand up set followed by with Richard Dawkins, Peter Singer, Philip Adams, Dan Barker and Sam Harris. 

In 2014 one of my texts  was used in an HSC exam. Ironically, I almost failed year 12 English receiving a score of 51%. Apparently my work is used frequently high school English classes which I find hilarious.