Writer and artist on unceded Wurundjeri land
Who on earth are you?
Lydia Schofield (she/they) is a writer, artist and library enthusiast from Melbourne Naarm. She writes YA and middle grade fiction about friendships, community, and the power of art making (that sometimes feature magic and spaceships too).
Lydia was the inaugural winner of the Steph Bowe Prize for Young Writers in 2025. Their work has appeared in the anthology What You Become as well as Books+Publishing, Grattan Street Press, Catalyst and WhyNot. They have also moderated events at Odyssey Literary Festival and Readings Bookshop.
She can be found on Instagram @scho.lydia or trying to befriend magpies in her backyard.
Services and expertise
Here are some of the things I do – and that you can hire me for!
- Writing articles. You can read my previous work in the ‘writing portfolio’ tab
- Moderating events. I have chaired events at Odyssey Literary Festival, Readings Bookshop and RMIT
- Writing middle grade and YA fiction
Some topics I am particularly interested in (for talks, collaborations, or articles):
- The role libraries play changing people’s lives – as third spaces for education, support, play, and community building
- Youth literature and how we can get it back in the mainstream of the literary scene
- Fairy and folk tales
- Australian children’s and YA fiction
- Comics and writing-and-art combinations
Acknowledgement of Country
I would like to acknowledge the people of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung language groups of the Kulin Nation on whose unceded land I live and work. I pay my respects to Ancestors and Elders past and present and acknowledge the continued connection to land, waters, and culture shared by First Nations people across Australia.
Lydia Schofield 