FRANCES WHITING

JOURNALIST / AUTHOR

Frances Whiting is Queensland's favourite and best-known columnist. For five years her weekly column in the Sunday Mail has made readers smile, cry, tear their hair out, and on several occasions, fall out of bed laughing.

Frances is also Associate Editor of the Sunday Mail and Senior Feature Writer, and when she isn't doing all of these things she enjoys playing guitar badly and falling off her surfboard.

An irreverent, irrepressible, laugh-out-loud read about life and love, family and friends, OH TO BE A MARCHING GIRL is a collection of Frances's best columns from the Sunday Mail.

Frances spent much of her childhood talking her mother into allowing her to sign up for classes, courses, sports, none of which she managed to complete. As well as 'Oh to be a marching girl', her repertoire at that time included 'I want to be an actress', 'I have to be a painter' and 'I'll die if I'm not a gymnast'.

Luckily, she did none of these things, but instead became a writer - one who has a rare knack of truly communicating with readers. Women, men, relationships, family, work, politicians and celebrities are all explored and, whatever the topic, readers will find something of themselves - and each other - in every chapter.

Frances has developed a number of presentations for senior students, with a particular focus on journalism. A vibrant speaker, she draws from her years of journalistic experience and finds the energy that young adults bring to presentations / workshops to be particularly inspiring.