Certifiable Truths : Stories of Love and Madness

by Jane Messer

This collection of writing by Australian writers is diverse in its understandings, moving between the skilful and ingenuous ragged horror of the loss of one’s ‘right’ mind, to more writerly examinations where all the ingenuity of the writer has been utilised.

Genres: Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1998

About the author

I write fiction and creative nonfiction—novels, memoir, radio plays, and short stories.

My latest book, Raven Mother: War, Family and Inheritance (NewSouth Publishing, 2026), is a memoir that traces the entanglements of history, inheritance, and family across generations.

I’m a devoted reader of Australian and international literature, especially writing in translation, alongside a long-standing love of genre—YA, speculative fiction, and fantasy.

Teaching writing has been a central part of my life. I’ve worked with writers since the early 1990s, including many years leading Creative Writing at Macquarie University. I now mentor writers one-on-one and run masterclasses.

In 2025, I founded StorySALOON—a live show and podcast bringing Australian short stories to the stage, performed by leading actors and shared with new audiences.

I hope to be writing more novels in the future: my last was Hopscotch (Picador, 2015). In recent years, alongside Raven Mother, I’ve been writing short stories— I’m sure that another novel will come knocking eventually!
I live in Sydney, on Gadigal land.
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