Alice Pung OAM is an award-winning author, journalist, lawyer and educator from Melbourne. Her non-fiction books Unpolished Gem, Her Father’s Daughter and Growing Up Asian in Australia have been set texts at schools and universities around Australia, Asia and the US. Her Father’s Daughter won the Western Australia Premiers’ Award, and her novel Laurinda won the Ethel Turner Prize at the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. One Hundred Days, Alice’s first novel for adults, was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Award and has been optioned by Michelle Law for development as a film.
Alice is the current Artist in Residence at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne, and Adjunct Professor at RMIT University’s School of Media and Communication. Alice has also been a judge of the Walkley Awards for Journalism, the Melbourne Prize for Literature, the Chair of the 2023 Stella Prize Panel, and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.
She is also the author of children’s books including Millie Mak the Maker (ill. Sher Rill Ng), Be Careful, Xiao Xin! (ill. Sher Rill Ng), and children’s novels When Grandma Came to Stay (ill. Sally Soweol Han) and the Meet Marly books (ill. Lucia Masciullo).
Alice has taught and mentored students in Australia and around the world, and given guest lectures at Brown University, Vassar College, the University of Milan and Peking University. In 2022, she delivered the State of the Writing Nation Address, and in the same year was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her services to literature.
Testimonials
- Highly engaging
- Impactful presentation
- Thought provoking and able to challenge our companies messaging on respect
- A strong desire to read her published works
“In my most recent professional engagement with Alice, she had the unenviable task of simultaneously inspiring and gently provoking a diverse group of public servants and diplomats. She achieved this in spades with her characteristic humour, sincerity and fresh way of making sense of the world around us.”
“Just wanted to say how well our event with Alice Pung a few weeks ago went. She was, as always, brilliant and we really appreciate your help with all the arrangements.”
“Alice Pung came to speak to our Year 12s on Monday and I just wanted to say thank you! She was utterly engaging and fabulous and friendly and professional and the girls loved her talk as did all the Year 12 teachers. Thanks!”
“I’ve been meaning to email you and say what a pleasure it was to have Alice here the other week. Her presentation was great – she really engaged the kids – she was funny and informative and they loved her. All the feedback from staff and students has been very positive and we would love to have her back again. Thanks for all your help with the organisation of Alice’s visit.”
“Alice enthralled us all with her stories and anecdotes. In a delightful, humorous and engaging manner she maintained the attention of the girls for over an hour. Alice shifted her focus to ‘Identity and Belonging’ especially for us, which was perfect for the girls; they left the auditorium full of dreams, hopes and ideas.”