Difficult Personalities

Best known for There’s a Hippopotamus on our Roof Eating Cake (1980) series which is 45 this year, author Hazel Edwards, O.A.M writes books and scripts for children, YA and adults. Awarded the Australian Society of Authors’ Medal in 2009, Hazel has been nominated three times for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She also received the Monash University Distinguished Alumni award for Education in 2022. She’s Patron of the Society of Women Writers, Victoria.

2025 is her 50th year since first being published. Her books have been translated into 10 languages. Wasted? is her latest YA, a Cli-Fic novel being considered for screen. Her audio, digital and print memoir Not Just a Piece of Cake; Being an Author is being translated into Tamil.

Illustrator Deborah Niland has submitted her portrait of Hazel for the 2025 Archibald Prize.

Visit www.hazeledwards.com for further details.

Dr Helen McGrath is a counselling psychologist in private practice as well as an adjunct professor at RMIT University. A highly regarded consultant, conference speaker and media commentator, she has written a number of successful books and articles on social skills, relationships and wellbeing for the general community, educators and health and workplace professionals.