About

Who is the Ibis Ink writer’s connective?

The short answer? We’re seven Brisbane mums with one dream and many worlds to share.

For years, we carried stories in our heads, our belly, our heart, our entire being, but never gave ourselves permission to put them on the page. We doubted ourselves, both our writing craft ability and the potential to live out a dream. We turned our backs on the little girls within us and plunged into the “real world” doing “real jobs”. And between career, family, continuous education, mothering and the endless rhythm of caring for others, writing always came last. Until now. 

The Ibis Ink Writer Collective was born out of the need to finally do something for ourselves. It was born of a deep love for speculative fiction and a good dash of hope. Some of us wander through galaxies, others weave cosy tapestries of tales or possibilities, while the remainder of us explore the shadowy cracks. Together we share the thrill of imagining what could be and we’d love to share that with you.

Why the ibis?

In Brisbane, ibises are everywhere. To most, it’s the common “bin chicken,” scrappy and overlooked. It’s hard to believe that long ago, on another continent, its ancestors were revered as sacred birds, symbols of wisdom. Here they’ve been whacked down and desacralised. 

We see ourselves in that. 

As mums, we often feel invisible, undervalued, always giving but rarely celebrated. Yet beneath the surface lies our strength, humour, smarts and creativity. And we believe it deserves to exist, to be shown and to be seen.

We choose to laugh a bit about ourselves. And we invite you to join us as we reclaim space for our voice, our stories and our own corner of the net.

What are we doing exactly?

• Supporting each other as we write our first books.
  
• Sharing our progress, both the struggles and the wins.
  
• Exploring speculative fiction in all its forms: fantasy, sci-fi, the fantastic, the mystical, the creative, magical realism and beyond.
  
• Building a space we feel safe where we can explore our creativity with each other’s support, and also where we can make mistakes to learn from and grow.

Please be patient with us, we’re learning as we go, doing everything ourselves on a shoestring.

Our Writers

Elin Mae
Drawn to cosy fantasy and reflections on how to make life cosier, Elin explores comfort and the small moments where imagination slips into everyday life.

Erika Wittlebee
Interested in historical fantasy, particularly the regency era, Erika enjoys exploring how real pasts can be reshaped through imagined worlds.

Jo Gerygone
Jo is drawn to darker speculative stories, curious about complex characters, tension, and the emotional weight of shadowed worlds.

Sylvia Osprey
Sylvia’s ideas often centre on environmental themes and ethical questions, imagining fantasy worlds where care for the planet matters.

Nova Sand
Nova is a science Fiction buff and recently enjoys blending science fiction with fairytale elements, exploring future settings, space exploration and alien cultures.

Gigi Panida
Gigi is interested in stories where the extraordinary brushes up against ordinary life, particularly in YA-focused, grounded fantasy ideas.

Pearl Vores
Pearl plays with the idea of storytelling through food, experimenting with recipes, monsters, recipes for monsters and the way meals shape life and connections.