David Vernon (writer) explained

David Vernon (born 1965 in Canberra, Australia) is an Australian writer and publisher. He has published several books relating to scepticism and childbirth.

Biography

Vernon is the only son of Michael Vernon and Jeanette Vernon. He established two businesses while at University, Whiahwe Waiting Services that provided catering to diplomatic missions in Canberra, and MangoSoft, a software development house. He graduated from the Australian National University with qualifications in political science and economics in 1988. He subsequently obtained a Graduate Diploma in Law from University of Canberra and completed a Master of Environmental Science from Griffith University. He was editor of Argos, the Journal of the Canberra Skeptics from 1986 until 1991. He was assistant editor of the Australian Sinclair Gazette. He later became a contributor to the journal of the Australian Skeptics, The Skeptic. He writes occasional science articles for The Canberra Times and also writes short stories for adults^[1] and children.

He spent ten years working in the Australian Public Service, working in the Attorney-General's Department and the Environment Department before resigning in 2007. He was Chair of the Lyneham Primary School Board from 2008 to 2012. He was elected chair of the Gold Creek School in 2011 and Chair of Gungahlin College in 2015. He was elected member of the Board of the ACT Writers Centre in 2012 and in 2013 was elected Deputy Chair. .^[2] In 2014 he was elected Chair of the Centre.^[3]

He co-edited the book Skeptical – A handbook of pseudoscience and the paranormal in 1989 with Donald Laycock, Colin Groves and Simon Brown. In 2005 he released Having a Great Birth in Australia, which examined the culture of childbirth and pregnancy in Australia. In 2006 his book Men at Birth which chronicles men's experience of birth, was published. On 31 May 2007, With Women was released. He is currently working on The Hunt for Marasmus^[4] and a book about perinatal depression called Australians Talk – surviving perinatal depression.^[5]

On 13 December 2007 his book Men at Birth was awarded Best Non-Fiction Book for 2007 in the 2007 ACT Writing and Publishing Awards^[6]

He is married to Barbara Vernon with two children.

References

• Who's Who in Australia, Information Australia Group, 1997
• Lonely Beginnings for Fathers of the Revolution, Danielle Teutsch, Sun Herald, 26 March 2006, p76
• Who Let the Dads In? The Age, 30 April 2006
• Birth and Beyond, Birth Resources Centre, Edinburgh, April 2006, p20
• Men at Birth, radio interview with Richard Aedy, ABC National, Life Matters, 2 August 2006
• Rebirth of the Father, Herald Sun, 1 September 2006
• Birth Rights for Men, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 September 2006

Notes

1. The Writers in Writer's Block #5, Australian National University, Oct 2007
2. ACTWRITE vol 18, No 4, p2, May 2012
3. ACTWRITE vol 20, No 4, p2, May 2014
4. http://web.mac.com/david.vernon/iWeb/The%20Hunt%20for%20Marasmus/Home%20of%20Marasmus.html The Hunt for Marasmus
5. http://web.mac.com/david.vernon/Australians_Talk/Welcome.html Australians Talk – surviving perinatal depression
6. The Canberra Times, 14 December 2007, p9

Published works

• Skeptical – A handbook of pseudoscience and the paranormal, Don Laycock, David Vernon, Colin Groves, Simon Brown (eds), Imagecraft, Canberra, 1989
• Having a Great Birth in Australia, Edited by David Vernon, Australian College of Midwives, Canberra, 2005,
• Men at Birth, Edited by David Vernon, Australian College of Midwives, Canberra, 2006,
• With Women, Edited by David Vernon, Australian College of Midwives, Canberra, 2007,
• The Umbrella's Shade and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Award, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• Men at Birth 2nd Edition, Edited by David Vernon, Finch Publishing, Sydney, 2011,
• Between Heaven and Hell and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Flash Fiction Award, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• Our Name Wasn't Written – A Malta Memoir – 1936–1943, by Caroline Vernon, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• A Visit from the Duchess – and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Speculative Fiction Award. Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• Birth Stories – Real and inspiring accounts from Australian women, Edited by David Vernon, Finch Publishing, Sydney, 2011,
• The Heat Wave of '76 and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Award Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• The Bridge – 21 short stories from the Stringybark Fiction Awards Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• Marngrook and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Australian History Award Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2011,
• Into the Darkness – One Young Australian's Journey from Sydney to the deadly skies over Germany 1939–1945 by Arthur Hoyle, DFC, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• The Road Home and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Between the Sheets – seventeen short stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Awards Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Tainted Innocence and other award-winning short stories from the Twisted Stringybark Award Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• The Seven Deadly Sins and other award-winning stories from the Stringybark Seven Deadly Sins Short Fiction Award Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Write for Your Life Compiled by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Yellow Pearl – Eighteen short stories from the Stringybark Australian History Awards, Selected and edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Tainted Innocence - and other award-winning short stories from the Twisted Stringybark Award, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2012,
• Behind the Wattles - 77 award-winning short stories from the Stringybark Flash and Microfiction Awards, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra. 2012
• Fight or Flight - 20 award-winning stories from the Stringybark Young Adult Short Fiction Awards. Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2013
• The Very End of the Affair - twenty-seven award-winning stories from the Stringybark Humorous Short Fiction Award, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2013
• Hitler Did It - twenty-one short stories from the Stringybark Short Story Awards, Edited and selected by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2013,
• Valentine's Day - twenty-three award-winning stories from the Stringybark Erotic Fiction Awards, Edited by David Vernon, Stringybark Publishing, Canberra, 2013,

External links

• David Vernon's Home Page