Ellen van Neerven is an Australian author whose debut essay collection Blueberries (Text, 2020; Scribe UK) was shortlisted for the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award and longlisted for the Stella Prize. Her forthcoming novel, The Ruiners, will be published in 2026 by Summit Australia, Sceptre (UK), and Catapult Books (USA). Her essays and stories have appeared widely, including in The Monthly, Griffith Review, Meanjin, HEAT, Sydney Review of Books, Flash Art, The Paris Review, and The Cambridge History of the American Essay. She is also the author of Yellow City (The Atlas Review, 2019), and her work has been commissioned by leading arts and performance organisations across Australia. Ellen holds a PhD from Monash University, where her research focused on the essay’s contemporary role as a socially engaged literary form. She teaches writing and offers manuscript consultations. She is represented by Daisy Parente at Lutyens & Rubinstein (London).
