Bill Cotter is a retired teacher who has been writing poetry and prose for almost forty years. His work has appeared in magazines and journals in Australia, New Zealand, England and India. He has also published collections of poetry, a collection of short stories, a short play for voices and a historical novel He has won a number of literary awards, including the Melbourne Shakespeare Society sonnet competition, the Maryborough Golden Wattle poetry competition and the Tamba poetry competition. He has conducted creative writing courses for children and adults in Bairnsdale, where he lives with his artist wife, Kaylene.