Sian has been working as a freelance writer for over a decade. She contributed a weekly column to The Age newspaper for three years and writes opinion pieces, travel features, theatre, opera and book reviews for various Fairfax publications. She has written feature articles for Limelight, Rolling Stone, The Bulletin, A2, Good Weekend, The Big Issue, Habitat and The Australian Way magazines.

Sian’s short fiction has been published in Contemporary Soul (Visible Ink anthology 2005), XXI Visible Inks (2009), Tattle Tales (Visible Ink anthology 2006), Normal Service Will Resume (Cardigan Press 2004) and the Sleepers Almanac Edition 7 (2011). Her essays have been published in Meanjin literary magazine and in 2010 she was awarded a Glenfern Writers Studio Readings Fellowship.

Sian recently contributed a chapter to the Penguin anthology Women Of Letters, and she is working on her first non fiction book as part of a PhD in Creative Writing at RMIT University. She has been a guest of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, the Byron Bay Writers Festival and the Melbourne Writers Festival.

In May 2011 The Age newspaper described sianprior.com as ‘one of the most popular academic blogs’.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SIAN’S PUBLISHED NON FICTION WRITING:

In the Fairfax Traveller: an article about mountain-climbing as a cure for a broken heart; March 2012.

In The Readings magazine: a profile of Australian novelist Deborah Robertson; March 2012.

For the Meanjin literary magazine website: reviews of two novels by Australian writers Thea Astley and Kate Grenville; October 2011

In the Fairfax Traveller: a travel article about Mission Beach in far north QLD recovering from Cyclone Yasi; August 2011.

In the Sunday Age: an opinion piece about Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s confession that she’s a ‘shy girl’; July 2011.

In the Fairfax ‘Traveller’: a travel article about the fishing village of Aas Beach in Amed, Bali; February 2011.

In The Drum (ABC opinion website): an opinion piece about the idiocy of the latest pro-nuclear push within the ALP; February 2011

In The National Times (Fairfax opinion online): an opinion piece about the taboo surrounding the declaration of voting intentions; November 2010.

In the Walkley Magazine (Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance): a column about the ‘10 Things you Need to Know about Reporting the Arts’; October 2010.

Travel article published in the Fairfax ‘Traveller’ about indigenous tourism ventures on the Dampier Peninsula in WA; August 2010.

Travel article published in The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald about south west Western Australia; May 2010.

Column about grappling with food intolerances, published in The National Times; April 2010.

Review of David Carlin’s memoir Our Father Who Wasn’t There, published in The Age; February 2010

Opinion piece about how our communal anxiety about children is being expressed in Australian film and theatre, published in The Age; December 2009.

Review of Opera Australia’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire for The Age: December 2009.

Essay about the Balibo Five, ‘Remembering Balibo’, published in Meanjin literary magazine; 2009.

Essay called ‘Shy Young Thing’, published in Meanjin literary magazine; 2009.

Sydney Morning Herald travel article about Australians working in the arts in Manhattan; 2008.

An essay on ‘sustainable activism’ published in the Insight section of The Age; 2007.

Sian began her broadcasting career on Melbourne community radio station 3RRR, presenting specialist current affairs programs for Public Radio News (PRN) on the Australian community radio network. She has been presenting and producing programs on ABC Radio for sixteen years, including Arts Today, Lingua Franca, The Media Report and The Deep End on ABC Radio National, and Sunday Arts on 774 ABC Melbourne.

She also teaches Writing for Radio modules in the RMIT Professional Writing and Editing Diploma, and for Writers Victoria.

This year Sian is doing regular theatre reviews on the 774 ABC Melbourne Drive program in the Culture Club segment on Thursday afternoons.

Here are some recent examples of Sian’s radio and podcast work:

Media commentator in the ‘Spin Cycle’ on 774 ABC Melbourne Drive program with Lindy Burns: 30th November, 2011

Co-host of The Conversation Hour on 774 ABC Melbourne with guests writer Colleen McCullough and SXSW director Brent Grulke; 18th November, 2011.

Co-host of The Conversation Hour on 774 ABC Melbourne with guests singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers and New York-based journalism professor Jay Rosen; 25th August, 2011.

Commentator on the media ‘Spin Cycle’ segment on 774 ABC Melbourne Drive program, 20th July 2011.

Co-host of The Conversation Hour on 774 ABC Melbourne, 23rd May 2011, with guests Dr Izzeldin Abueldaish and Italian crooner Patrizio.

Writer and presenter of an essay called Shy Young Thing on ABC Radio National’s First Person program, 21st July 2010.

Host of a forum for the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) about the US TV series ‘Mad Men’, available as a podcast.; 2010.

Presenter of the 2009 Ian Potter Cultural Trust Music Commissions awards night, broadcast on ABC Classic FM’s New Music Up Late , 2nd October 2009.

Writer and presenter of a radio essay on Lingua Franca (Radio National) about the value of platitudes, broadcast in November 2008.

Producer/reporter for a Lingua Franca program (Radio National) about New York artist Nina Katchadourian, broadcast in May 2008,

Producer/presenter of a feature about Black Swan Theatre’s play ‘Jandamarra’ on Radio National’s Artworks program, February 2008.

Presenter of Melbourne University Up Close, a series of indepth interviews with Melbourne University academics, available as podcasts.

Since graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts Opera Studio, Sian has performed as a guest soprano with Operalive, More Than Opera Co., Sounds Sublime, Opera Sessions, Divas Inc. and Macedon Music. She has sung at the Castlemaine Festival, the Melbourne Writer’s Festival, the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival, the Two Fires Festival, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, the Williamstown Literary festival, and live-to-air on ABC Radio National’s Quiz Show and the 774 ABC Melbourne Evening Show.

She has also performed and recorded with Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly, sung jazz for the AFL, recorded original songs by composers Natalya Wagner, John Hipwell Snr and Darryl Emerson, and done backing vocals for The Stardust Five and Tempo Perdido.

Recent concerts include a recital of French art songs and clarinet pieces in the Benalla Art Gallery, guest spots with Paul Kelly's 2011 ‘A to Z’ concerts in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland (singing and playing clarinet) and soprano for ‘The Kate Kelly Project’ in the town of Forbes, NSW in September 2011, featuring the premiere of an original song cycle by librettist Merrill Findlay and composer Ross Carey.

Future performances include singing and playing clarinet for a theatre project (written by playwright Rebecca Lister) in the Australian Festival in Vesancy, France in September 2012.

Recordings:

‘Paul Kelly: A to Z' – clarinet and vocals (EMI 2010)

Paul Kelly’s ‘Songs from the South Volume 2’ (EMI) – clarinet player on ‘Shane Warne’

‘Silent Night’, guest vocalist with Paul Kelly on the Myer ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ album (2006)

‘Stardust Five’ debut album – guest vocalist (EMI 2006)

‘Theme from Juan’, by Tempo Perdido on CD ‘Ibara: River Crossing’ (Soul Jazz Records 2005), guest vocalist

‘Fireflies’, ABC TV soundtrack, guest vocalist for original music by Paul Kelly (ABC Music 2004)

‘The Golden Lotus’, soprano for new music drama composed by John Hipwell (2004)

‘The Breath of the Earth’, soprano for original CD recording of art songs composed by Natalya Vagner (2003)

‘Martin and Gina’, original Australian musical, composed by Darryl Emmerson (2002), performing the lead role of Gina

‘Comrades Come Rally’, Musical Director for a collection of songs by Victorian Trade Union Choir (1993)

Sian teaches part-time in RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing diploma and runs writing workshops for Writers Victoria, the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and the Northern Rivers Writers Centre (NRWC).

She also been a guest lecturer at Deakin University, RMIT University and the University of Melbourne, and conducted media workshops for a range of organisations including SBS Radio and The Wilderness Society.

In 2011 Sian ran a year-long series of workshops on non fiction writing for the Victorian Writers Centre. In May 2012 she taught a course in Writing for Radio for Writers Victoria. She is also running the Non Fiction Project subject in RMIT’s Professional Writing and Editing course this year, and teaching Literary Non Fiction in RMIT’s Bachelor of Creative Writing.

Some email comments from Sian’s writing students:

I really enjoyed the workshop on Saturday and I’m looking forward to actually doing some of the writing now. It will be great to have the goal of getting it done by a particular date – there is nothing like a deadline. Cheers, Julie (VWC 2011)

I really have very much enjoyed the first two sessions and am looking forward to the next. Kerrin (VWC 2011)

Sian, a note to say that the book outline I prepared has been picked up by a publisher. We sign next week. Thanks so much for your critical feedback that reshaped the book so much. It is so much better than the biography I entered our group with last year, and was worth the heartache and hard work of the reinvention. It is not finished, but i sent six chapters and the synopsis and outline and she loved it. Helen (VWC 2011)

Just wanted to drop a quick line to let you know (as promised) that my book offer has now been officially confirmed. It’s tentatively scheduled for publication next April. Thanks again for your encouragement and support last year and giving me the impetus to write the piece that led to this project. It would still be a vague idea in my head that I never got motivated to take time to do if not for the class last year. Cheers, Jo (RMIT, 2010)

My heartfelt thanks for your efforts at last Thurs Byron Writer’s Workshop. Your style was inspiring, professional, informative and engaging. Warmly, Sue (NRWC 2010)

I wanted to thank you for a tremendous workshop last Thursday. You are a terrific presenter and it was thrilling for me to discover you were the Queen of Handouts! The information you gave us was spot on. It was wonderful to read your published work too. And the workshop was what every workshop should be – full of valuable tips and information, entertaining, and a perfect mix of facts, brainstorming, and practical exercises. It left me inspired and motivated – just perfect! Thanks again and with best wishes, Helen (NRWC 2010)

Thanks again for a brilliant semester. Journalism 1 was by far my favourite subject – interesting, engaging and totally practical. Looking forward to Journalism 2! Cheers, Sara (RMIT, 2009)

Sian has hosted, curated and moderated events for many Australian cultural institutions, including the Australia Council, the Australian Contemporary Art Fair, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), the Australian Film Institute, the Heide Museum of Contemporary Art, Cinemedia, the Ian Potter Cultural Trust, the Victorian Arts Centre, the Melbourne Writers Festival and the Byron Bay Writers Festival.

She has also hosted events for local government, including: the City of Melbourne, the City of Whitehorse, the City of Port Phillip, the City of Maribyrnong and the Shire of Yarra Ranges. She has been the presenter of a series of business forums for the City of Stonnington called ‘Roosters and Feather Dusters’, available as podcasts.

She is a regular co-host of The Conversation Hour on 774 ABC Melbourne, and has hosted Melbourne University Up Close, a podcast series of interviews with academics from the University of Melbourne.

Sian has also been an MC and motivational speaker for a number of Victorian secondary schools, including: Croydon Secondary College, MacRobertson Girls High School, McKinnon High School, Ballarat Grammar School and Scotch College.

Recent events include MC'ing Symphony Under The Stars for the City of Stonnington on February 25th and chairing an RMIT Writers-in-Residence ‘In Conversation’ event at the State Library of Victoria’s Theatrette on Tuesday 20th March with guest writers Drusilla Modjeska, Chloe Hooper and Hannie Rayson..