Chris Hanley (Chairperson)
Chris is the Chair of the Northern Rivers Writers' Centre and Chair of the Byron Bay Writers Festival Committee. Chris was responsible for starting the Writers Festival in 1996. He is a published writer of short stories and a keen reader. In his spare time he runs Byron Bay First National Real Estate.

Lynda Dean (Vice Chair)
Lynda has lived in the Northern Rivers since 1979 and is President of the Byron Bay Community Association. She is registered as a Marriage Celebrant and has had a career in community development. She has been Vice Chair of the NRWC since 1996 because she is addicted to reading.

Jennifer Regan (Secretary)
Jennifer has been involved in various arts/community boards in the Northern Rivers Region since 1993. She was so impressed with the Byron Bay Writers Festival that she wanted to become actively involved.  Her shorthand and typing skills come in handy for minute taking and Jennifer remains a very hands on Committee member.

John Hertzberg (Treasurer)
John is a mediator, arbitrator and lawyer. He has lived in Byron Shire since 1981, when he joined the Federal Theatre Company, his first exposure to the vibrant arts community in the Northern Rivers region. Since then, he has been involved in many community organisations and is a keen supporter of the arts.

Cheryl Bourne
Cheryl has been with Rochdale Accounting for more than 17 years, becoming a partner in 2003. Cheryl is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA), a registered Tax Agent and an accredited MYOB consultant. With a wealth of experience in all matters affecting small to medium businesses, Cheryl works with clients to review and improve accounting systems and provides advice to assist clients to better manage their business affairs to maximise their financial position. She has been an avid supporter of the NRWC and Festival since its inception and reading and politics are top of her list of interests.

Jenny Cornish
Jenny has been involved with a variety of community groups since her arrival in the Northern Rivers region in 2003. Jenny spent many years in the marketing and sale of documentaries to international television stations, doing extensive reading, selection of scripts and film production treatments. Story telling through the medium of film has always been a focus in her working life. Jenny remains an avid reader.

Marele Day
Marele is the editor of How to Write Crime and has written a guide, Successful Promotion for Writers. She is the creator of the Claudia Valentine mysteries and Mavis Levack, PI, as well as the bestselling literary novel, Lambs of God, and a novelised biography, Mrs Cook: The Real and Imagined Life of The Captain's Wife.  Her latest novel is Sea Bed. Marele has taught Creative Writing courses, the Byron Bay Writing Retreat, the residential mentorship and is a judge of the Vogel Award. In 2008 Marele was awarded the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award for services to crime fiction. 

Robert Drewe
Robert's novels and short stories, including The Drowner, The Bodysurfers, The Savage Crows, Fortune, Our Sunshine and Grace have been widely translated, won many national and international awards, and beena dapted for stage, screen, television and radio. His prize-winning memoir, The Shark Net, became a top-rating ABC and BBC TV miniseries. In October 2008, Robert published his short story collection, The Rip, to great acclaim. Before turning to fiction writing as a young man, his journalism won two Walkley awards and a US Government Leader Grant.

Russell Eldridge
Russell resigned his postion as the Editor of The Northern Star, the regional daily newspaper for the Northern Rivers, in 2008. He has worked on the Sydney Morning Herald and before that on newspapers in South Africa. He has edited a book on South African tennis, has contributed a short story and a poem to two anthologies, and has judged writing competitions. He has written and performed stand-up comedy, and has performed in many theatre productions.

Helen Hughes
Helen is the Group Director, Human Resources and Marketing and Media, at Southern Cross University. Prior to joining the University in 2005, Helen worked in broadcasting for twenty years, primarily with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Helen studied journalism and literature at Queensland University, and is an avid consumer of fiction.

Di Morrissey
Di is Australia’s most popular female novelist. She began her writing career as a journalist working for Australian Consolidated Press in Sydney and Fleet Street, London. After marrying a US diplomat she travelled extensively with her two children working as an advertising copywriter, television presenter, and radio broadcaster. She returned to Australia to work in television as a presenter on the original current affairs programme Good Morning Australia and her first novel was published in 1991.

Brenda Shero
Brenda has had one play produced professionally. She has contributed poems to three anthologies: two in print and one on the net. She has written and performed stand-up comedy.