Stephen Downes was this year awarded a PhD in creative writing from Monash University. His thesis investigates the influence of the uncanny and nostalgia on the prose fictions of the German writer W. G. Sebald. He has published some dozen non-fiction books, and a few have won prizes and been translated. His short story ‘Anniversary’ was selected for the UNESCO Cities of Literature anthology A Tale of Four Cities. Also a short story, ‘The Sausage Caper’ was shortlisted for the 2018 British Bridport Short Story Prize.

Calvin Fung likes to think his passion for Gothic literature is what strong-armed the other editors into agreeing with the theme of the uncanny for this year’s Verge. He is in his second year of his creative writing PhD on Hong Kong Gothic literature. He was the highest-placed Monash University entrant of the 2017 Monash Prize. He is co-editor-in-chief of Colloquy: Text, Theory, critique.

Amaryllis Gacioppo is an Australian writer. Currently she is completing a joint PhD in creative writing with Monash University and the University of Bologna. In 2015 her story ‘Dreams’ won the Lord Mayor of Melbourne Award for Short Story. She has been shortlisted for various awards, including the Bristol Short Story Prize and the Scribe Nonfiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in publications across Australia, the UK and the US.