Patti has taught creative writing, with a particular focus on autobiographical writing, for more than 20 years. Patti's memoir The Joy of High Places was published by NewSouth in 2019 and her book Writing True Stories was published by Allen & Unwin in 2017.
Patti was included in UQP's Reading the Landscape which was published in celebration of its 70th anniversary. Released in 2018, it's a collection of stories from some of their best authors.
Her memoir Ransacking Paris was published by Penguin Books Australia in 2015.
Her novel The Mind of a Thief (2012), was long-listed and short-listed for several awards and won the 2013 NSW Premier’s Prize for History.
She is the author of Australia’s bestselling autobiographical writing texts, Writing Your Life and The Memoir Book as well as The Last One Who Remembers (memoir), Child (novel) and Whatever The Gods Do (memoir).
She is published regularly in newspapers and magazines including essay pieces in the Good Weekend magazine (The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) and is available for speaking engagements to clubs and other groups. She has a BA (Communications) and MA (Writing) from UTS.
At the Australian Writers’ Centre, you learn from the best – and Patti is the best life writing teacher in Australia. Nearly 40 of her former students have been successfully published.