Ken Spillman (born 11 June 1959) is an Australian writer based in Perth, Western Australia, whose work has spanned diverse genres including poetry, sports writing and literary criticism.
Encouraged to write by a teacher at Newman College, Perth, he began publishing poetry and stories after moving to Brisbane to attend Griffith University.
Spillman's first major solo publication was concerning the history of Subiaco, Western Australia, Identity Prized,[2] which was launched by Sir Paul Hasluck, a former Governor-General, at an open-air function attended by more than a thousand people.
According to Rod Moran, former books editor of The West Australian, "Ken Spillman writes history in a marvellously lucid style, one enhanced further by a keen turn of phrase, or sharp observation, at an appropriate moment in the narrative.
[citation needed] After a successful full-length fiction debut in 1999 with the highly acclaimed novel Blue, Spillman wrote three children's books with writer and comedian Jon Doust.
"[6] Spillman's picture books include The Strange Story of Felicity Frown, The Great Storyteller, Rahul and the Dream Bat, The Auto That Flew, The Magic Bird and Clumsy!