About
Nigel Featherstone is an Australian writer of contemporary fiction.
He is the author of over 40 published short stories with work appearing in 17 Australian literary journals, including Meanjin, Island and Overland. He has had two collections of short fiction published – Homelife (1999) and Joy (2000). The Australian Book Review described the latter as ‘beautifully poised… warm, lush, humane’, and in its own review Overland noted, ‘a distinctive voice, offering unexpected insights into relations between people’.
His novel, Remnants (Pandanus Books), appeared in 2005 and has been described as ‘a solid exploration of age, written with sensitivity and skill’ (Eureka Street), ‘a fine piece of fiction deserving of a wide audience’ (Wet Ink), and ‘a beautifully written book’ (Mercury Magazine).
Nigel’s novella, Fall On Me, was published by Blemish Books in 2011.
He has received gongs in various competitions, including the ‘My Brother Jack’ Glen Eira Literary Awards, the Foothills of the Dandenongs Literary Competition, and the University of Canberra National Short Story Competition. His work has also been permanently installed in the pavements of Canberra City as part of the Festival of Contemporary Arts’ Words on Walls project. Since 2007 Nigel has been a freelance writer for Panorama, the arts magazine of the Canberra Times. In 2009 he was an artist-in-residence at Bundanon, Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift to the Australian people; in 2010 he was a writer-in-residence at the Kingsbridge Gatekeeper’s Cottage, Cataract Gorge, thanks to the City of Launceston; and in 2011 he was selected to take part in the NSW Litlink Fellowship Residency Program at Varuna, the national writers’ house in the Blue Mountains.
Nigel founded and co-edits Verity La, an online literary and creative arts journal. He also maintains the Under the counter or a flutter in the dovecot blog where he posts the creative journalism he writes for the Canberra Times. Both Verity La and Under the counter are archived in-perpetuity by the National Library of Australia.
Born in Sydney, Nigel now lives in Goulburn on the Southern Tablelands, his long-term partner Tim Phillips an hour down the road.
You can contact Nigel at contact@opentopublic.com.au