She publishes an occasional e-newsletter called Network News that has 11,000+ subscribers.

Irina has a wealth of experience in the field of publishing and editing. See Testimonials.

THE WRITER'S GUIDE

Irina authored The Writer’s Guide: a companion to writing for pleasure or publication, Allen & Unwin 2002 (2nd ed), which was shortlisted for the Australian Publishers’ Association National Education Awards.

WORKING WITH WRITERS

Irina worked closely with writers and publishers for 15 years as the Director of the NSW Writers' Centre and guided the organisation to become a thriving institution with a record membership.

She was Artistic Director of many festivals over the years, including:

As Manager of the Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society, Irina collected royalties from overseas collecting societies for distribution to Australian screenwriters. She secured contracts with 12 new societies in record time.

In 2008, Irina initiated the Australian Writers' Network, which produces an occasional literary e-newsletter and has 11,000+ subscribers around Australia and internationally. To subscribe to the newsletter, send an email to idunn1703@gmail.com with "Subscribe" in the subject field.

She has chaired sessions and given talks and seminars at many writers' festivals nationally and internationally, including the Ubud, Sydney, Byron Bay, Darwin, Norfolk Island, Bellingen, Gloucester and Woollahra Council writers’ festivals, as well as at many other venues such as local libraries.

Irina now works as an agent, helping writers find publishers for their manuscripts. Please see Services for details.

ACADEMIC

Irina has an Honours Degree in English Literature and Language from the University of Sydney, and a Graduate Diploma in Russian from Macquarie University. She has been a tutor at the Sydney University English Department, a TAFE teacher and a Senior Lecturer in the Ecosystems Management Department at the University of New England.

ARTS CRITIC

A lover of music with qualifications from the Sydney Conservatorium, Irina has been writing opera and theatre reviews for the City Hub and the Alternative Media Group since 1996.

FILMMAKER

Irina's award-winning film Fighting for Peace, about the Australian women's peace movement, received critical acclaim at the San Francisco International Film and Video Festival.

Her documentary about the controversial Ananda Marga case, Frame-up: Who Bombed the Hilton, Who Didn't?, helped to secure an inquiry into the case which led to the three accused being freed and pardoned.

SCIENCE EDITOR

As an experienced scientific editor, she has worked for state and federal government agencies responsible for the Australian environment. With two scientists, she co-authored and co-edited the book A Natural Legacy: Ecology in Australia, which won the Royal Australian Zoological Society Prize for best text on the subject.

BACKGROUND

Irina was born in Shanghai, China, and is of Russian, Irish and Indo-Chinese descent.

She represented NSW as an Independent Senator in the federal parliament from 1988 to 1990.

CONTACT DETAILS

Contact IRINA DUNN at idunn1703@gmail.com or mobile 0403 486 363.

TRIVIA

In 1970, Irina coined the feminist phrase "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" and it has since ricocheted around the world, even giving rise to this movable sculpture in the Guinness Brewery in Dublin.