About Me

I'm a writer and editor based in regional Australia. I love story, whether in a book, film, or sitting around a kitchen table listening to what’s new with a friend. The publication of my first novel was the culmination of more than a decade of developing my writing practice. I’ve included some writing resources on this website that aspiring authors might find useful.

My first novel is Time and Tide in Sarajevo, and was published by Affirm Press in Australia in August 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2023 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. If you have a book group, take a look at the book group questions.

I’m working on my second novel, and I’m developing a new free newsletter called One Sentence at a Time about creative practice. Please sign up if you’re interested!

Author Bio - Long

Bronwyn Birdsall is an award-winning writer based on Bundjalung Country, in Northern New South Wales. Her first novel Time and Tide in Sarajevo (Affirm Press, 2022) was shortlisted for the 2023 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Her writing centres around contemporary life and finding meaning in the everyday.

Author Bio - Short

Bronwyn Birdsall is an award-winning writer based in the Northern Rivers. Time and Tide in Sarajevo is her first novel and was shortlisted for the 2023 Readings Prize.

Author Photo & Book Cover

Download high-res author photo (Image credit: Camila Tassino):

Download high-res cover of Time and Tide in Sarajevo here.

50 word Synopsis of ‘Time and Tide in Sarajevo’

Evelyn is teaching English in Sarajevo. Over a few days, she faces an impossible decision, one that puts her students’ ambitions and her friendships at risk. Gripping and heartfelt, Time and Tide in Sarajevo asks: how do we find hope in a world that feels beyond repair?

Interviews on Writing:


Programs & Awards:

  • Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, shortlist

  • Lane Cove Literary Awards, shortlist

  • HARDCOPY, ACT Writers’s national professional development program for emerging Australian writers. 

  • Nancy Fairfax Writer in Residence competition (Byron Writers Festival), runner-up

  • Byron Writers Festival's Residential Mentorship program


You can see me talk more about the HARDCOPY experience here and here. 

I had a desk at Writing NSW for two years, 2018-2020. I have no doubt that the programs and opportunities through Byron Writers Festival, ACT Writers and Writing NSW was the difference between an idea for a book and a completed manuscript. 

Selected Writing: