Shankari Chandran: Safe Haven

Shankari Chandran was raised in Canberra, Australia. She spent a decade in London, working as a lawyer in the social justice field. She eventually returned home to Australia, where she now lives with her husband and four children. She is the author of Song of the Sun God, The Barrier and Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, which won the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

Elizabeth McCarthy is the Program Director of the Queenscliffe Literary Festival. She also works as a producer for ABC Radio Melbourne, and in engagement and events for RMIT Culture. Her book reviews can be heard on ABC Radio, and she has been a judge for the Stella Prize and the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. She has chaired events at Melbourne Writers Festival, Sydney Writer Festival, The Wheeler Centre, and more. She previously worked as a music reviewer, as a presenter and producer in community radio, and spent her formative years as a swamp punk drummer.