About Bernard

Bernard Cohen has taught creative writing at all educational levels from infants' school to university, and to all ages from five to (approximately) 75. He has been writer-in-residence at Peckham Library and Sir John Soane's Museum in London, University College Worcester, Taipei City International Writers' Program and trAce Online Writing Community in Nottingham. Later in 2006 he will be in writer-in-residence at the Writers' Centre in Wagga Wagga.

Young people from Bernard's workshops have published their writing on websites in Australia and the UK, written books, stories and poems, exhibited written work at the Australian Museum (Face-to-Face "Teenage Survivors of Torture and Trauma), and won the Aeroplane Jelly "Bertie the Aeroplane" Writing competition (kindergarten section).

Bernard is also the award-winning author of a children's picture book, four-and-a-quarter novels (the quarter was actually a whole book, but written with three other writers) and a CD ROM. His awards include the 1996 Australian/Vogel Literary Award for The Blindman's Hat and a 2001 Arts Council of England Writer's Award. He was listed for three consecutive years (1997-99) among the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian Novelists, and was inaugural Alumnus of the Year at the University of Technology, Sydney in 1997.

Bernard has judged the NSW Premier's New Writer's Fellowship and the Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Writer award.

Bernard was born in the US, lived most of his life in Australia and has also lived in the UK, France and Spain. For more information about his books and other writing, please follow this link.

Salman Rushdie presents Bernard with an Arts Council of England Writer's Award