Queensland Arts Council and the State Library of Queensland are bringing four of Australia\'s finest contemporary writers to regional Queensland for workshops, readings, book signings and special public events.

Nick Earls (PICTURED), John Birmingham, Samuel Watson and Sue Gough will meet and work with locals during the Writers Ontour Outback in May. The tour travels to Rockhampton, Moranbah, Emerald, Barcaldine, Longreach, Charleville, Roma and Miles from 13 - 25 May.

As part of the event, Central Queensland University will host a writers\' workshop here University Tuesday 14 May from 2 to 4pm in Building 32 on the Rockhampton Campus. A lunch will also be held at 1PM in the meeting room at Nulloo Yumbah, the university\'s centre for Indigenous Learning and Research John Fitzsimmons, Head of Central Queensland University\'s School of Humanities and William Oates, director of Nulloo Yumbah, believe the tour and workshop will provide regional authors an opportunity share their experiences and diverse writing styles face-to-face with their peers and their audience.

\"In this, the Year of the Outback, Queensland Arts Council is excited to be taking these outstanding writers to regional Queensland,\" said Kirsty Veron, Manager of Writers Ontour Outback. \"We developed the tour in consultation with each of the communities to ensure the program really does appeal to local writers in each area.\" The tour is expected to attract avid book readers interested in discussing how writers take the germ of an idea through to publication. Some new and exciting writers may even be \"discovered\".

Queensland Arts Council\'s Writers Ontour Outback is presented in partnership with the State Library of Queensland with funding from the Regional Arts Fund, a Commonwealth Government initiative supporting the arts in regional and remote Australia, and Arts Queensland. For further tour information contact QAC on 3004 7510 or your local public library in the centres to be visited.

Please note the Writers Ontour Outback itinerary: Rockhampton, Monday 13 & Tuesday 14 May; Moranbah; Wednesday 15 & Thursday 16 May; Emerald Friday 17 & Saturday 18 May; Barcaldine Monday 20 May; Longreach, Tuesday 21 May; Charleville, Wednesday 22 & Thursday 23 May; Roma, Friday 24 May; Mile Saturday 25 May.

About the writers.

Nick Earls (pictured) is the author of seven books, including the best sellers Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses and Perfect Skin. His work has been published internationally in English and translated. He was a finalist for the Queensland Premier\'s Export Award in 1999. He has also toured internationally with Headgames, and performed at the Livid Festival in 1999. He is currently working on a young adult novel called Making Laws for Clouds, to be published this month.

Sue Gough has a vast range of experience as a book reviewer for the Courier-Mail and as a national theatre critic for both The Australian and the Bulletin. She is currently on the Board of the State Library of Queensland and was Deputy Chair of the Australia Council Literature Fund She is the author of 17 books including the CBC \'Honour Book\' A Long Way to Tipperary. Her most recent book, The Nether Regions was published in March.

John Birmingham was born in Ipswich in 1964. In 1994 he published his first book, He Died With a Felafel in His Hand, which became a bestseller cult youth book and has been turned into a successful play and film. His most recent book, Leviathan, a history of Sydney was published in 1999.

Samuel Watson is a Brisbane writer who is of Aboriginal, Irish, German and Dutch descent. His first collection of poetry, of muse, meandering and midnight, won the 1999 David Unaipon Literary Award for emerging Indigenous writing. His second collection, hotel bone, was released by Vagabond Press in 2001. A third collection, itinerant blues, and a young adult fiction verse novel, dead on arrival, are due to be released through University of Queensland Press later in 2002.

-- END -- John Fitzsimmons, Head of Central Queensland University\'s School of Humanities is available for interviews. High res pictures are available at www.affairs.cqu.edu.au/cqutoday/. For further information about the tour, contact Sarah Perrott, Marketing and Communications Coordinator at 3004 7533 or sarah.perrott@qac.org.au