Bel Vidalel Vidal is the pen name of a Bolivian-Australian writer who since 1988 has called Sydney home.Her works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been widely published both in English and Spanish, under her pen name, her real name and other pseudonymsSoon after arriving in Sydney, she was the recipient of an Australia Council (now Creative Australia) grant to publish a bilingual collection of poems and short stories, Arcoiris de Sueños / Rainbow of Dreams.An earlier draft of her novel Exuberance was short-listed for the Varuna-Harper Collins award for manuscript development, and was awarded the five-day Varuna Awards Residential Masterclass. It was independently published in 2023, followed by her collection short fiction and non-fiction stories, Tales of Suburban Castaways in 2024.Bel has a BA in Communications, Majoring in Creative Writing (UTS) and a Masters in writing for the Media (Macquarie University).She works in the not-for-profict sector as a communications and media professional, using her writing skills towards advocating for positive social change.​Bel is also a mental health advocate, book lover, film buff, bush walking enthusiast, keen photographer / designer, adventurous traveller, blogger and firm believer it's never too late to start something new. Read More Read Less