Chalkface Press     Specialists in Subject English   


ANNOUNCEMENT

Chalkface Press has closed its publishing list as from 30 June 2026. All titles are now out of print.

(Note: Literary Terms by Brian Moon is available through Moonwell Press and via Amazon Australia.)

We wish to thank the students, teachers and university lecturers that used our texts, and the many educational bookshops who supported us.
We are grateful also to the authors who published with us and who contributed so much to the success of Chalkface Press.

Chalkface Press P/L: chalkface@icloud.com
Chalkface Press is a P/L Company of the Chalkface Unit Trust ACN 009 222 691, Incorporated in Western Australia
The Chalkface name is registered in Western Australia. ABN 42 977 185 305
© 2026. Chalkface Press



  Our History


Chalkface Press P/L was an independent publisher based in Perth, Western Australia, specialising in Subject English. Established in 1987, the company published text books for students and teachers at secondary and tertiary level. It also imported and distributed specialist English textbooks for students, teachers and teacher educators.

The company first came onto the market with 12 titles printed in Western Australia under licence from the English and Media Centre in London, UK. Chalkface subsequently produced over a dozen original works, and built up a list of imported titles. Most of the titles published were written for students. They addressed recent theoretical debates and innovative classroom practices in the areas of critical literacy and textual analysis, and took account of current curriculum developments and research.

Chalkface books have been used in many University Education and Teacher Training faculties as course texts. Several titles were required reading for courses at Britain's Open University and at colleges in the USA. In the UK our 'Chalkface Original' titles were published by the London-based English and Media Centre.

In the USA and Canada our 'original' titles were published by the National Council of Teachers of English [NCTE] in special North American editions. Titles included, Reading Hamlet, Literary Terms, Studying Literature, Reading Stories, Reading Fictions, Gendered Fictions, Investigating Texts and Studying Poetry.

  Our Authors


Prof. Wayne Martino
Wayne Martino currently lectures at the University of Western Ontario, and previously taught at The Australian Institute of Education at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. He taught English in secondary schools for several years before completing his PhD, in which he explored links between masculinities and learning. He has also explored the role that particular versions of masculinity play in boys' engagement in specific literacy practices. Wayne's work has been published in Gender and Education and the British Journal of the Sociology of Education in the UK, and in English in Australia. His book for secondary school English students, Gendered Fictions, was published by Chalkface Press (now out of print). He has collaborated with Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli on Schooling Masculinities and with Bob Meyenn on 'What about the Boys?': Issues of Masculinity and Schooling, both published by the Open University Press.

Dr Bronwyn Mellor AM
Bronwyn Mellor holds a Doctorate in Education and English from the University of Western Australia. She is the Publisher and Editorial Director of Chalkface Press, which she co-founded in 1987 on returning to Australia from Britain. She taught English in secondary schools in England and worked as a contributory writer and advisory teacher at the English and Media Centre in London. She also has taught in secondary schools in Australia and lectured in university courses in Curriculum and English Studies. Bronwyn's influential publications include Reading Hamlet, Reading Stories, Reading Fictions (with Annette Patterson and Marnie O'Neill), Investigating Texts, and Writing Critical Essays (with Brian Moon). Bronwyn was honoured for her contributions to education, receiving the prestigious Australia Medal in the 2000 Australian Honours List.

Dr Brian Moon OAM
Brian Moon has worked as a secondary school teacher and university lecturer in the areas of English, literature and media studies for more than 40 years. He was an Associate Professor in Education at Edith Cowan University until 2025. Brian served as state examiner of English for the Secondary Education Authority of WA, and he is the author of numerous books and papers, including the highly successful Literary Terms: A Practical Glossary. In 2026 Brian received an Order of Australia medal for services to tertiary education. He is currently writing and publishing at Moonwell Press.

Dr Marnie O'Neill
Marnie O'Neill is a Senior Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia in the areas of English education, language literacy and learning, and teaching and learning. Her research interests include English curriculum studies; curriculum policy and practice; language in education; teaching and learning; classroom studies; gender studies; and gifted and talented education. Marnie has also been a secondary school English teacher, an advisory teacher in English, chief examiner in English and Literature, and was for some years the editor of the journal of the Australian Association for the Teaching of English, English in Australia. The writer of numerous papers, articles and books, Marnie O'Neill has co-written texts for secondary students published by Chalkface Press.

Emeritus Prof. Annette Patterson
Annette Patterson was Professor of Education and Head of School at Queensland University of Technology, and previously taught sociology and English in the School of Education at James Cook University in Queensland. She taught English and literature in high schools from 1976-1989 and was a key member of the Chalkface Press writing team, producing texts for secondary English students. Annette made significant research contributions in the areas of critical reading practices and histories of English education. Annette Patterson passed away suddenly in 2015.

Mr John Richmond
John Richmond was born in Portsmouth, England in 1951. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge before becoming an English teacher in London. He later became an adviser of teachers, and later still worked in educational broadcasting as commissioning editor for Channel 4 and Teachers TV in the UK and Teaching Channel in the USA. John has published books and articles on English teaching and the role of language in education.

  Our Titles


Chalkface publications can still be found in many school resource collections, and in school and university libraries. The following are some of our successful and influential titles.

Introducing Literature
Yr 10+. A new, comprehensive guide to literary studies, leading students from first principles to advanced and theorised approaches to literature. By Brian Moon.   

 

Poetry by John Richmond
New from Chalkface Press. Poetry by UK-based writer and educator John Richmond. My Proper Life: Poems 1975–2017 and Bring Me the Sunflower: Translations and Imitations.   

Changing Stories
Yr 7+. A lively exploration of folk and fairytales and what happens to their meanings when familiar details change. By Bronwyn Mellor, Judith Hemming, Jane Leggett.   

 

Viewing Terms: A Film and TV Glossary
Yr 10+. A comprehensive glossary of terms and concepts, presented through clear explanations and practical mini lessons in film grammar and image analysis. Ideal for English or Media. By Brian Moon.   

Literary Terms: A Practical Glossary
Yr 11+. An instructional glossary of modern literary terms that offers explanations of theory and mini lessons that teach complex concepts in practical ways. By Brian Moon.   

 

Writing Critical Essays
Yr 10+. A comprehensive guide to the how and why writing criticial essays, covering essays structure and style and the eight essential topics, including essays on character, point of view, themes, and issues. By Bronwyn Mellor and Brian Moon.   

Making Stories
Yr 7+. An engaging and practical exploration of story construction that will have your students making and sharing stories. By Bronwyn Mellor and Mike Raleigh.  

 

Writing Projects 1 and 2
Yr 10+. A detailed instructional guide to writing descriptions, essays, speeches, stories and more -- based on the methods of classical rhetoric that have trained writers for generations. By Brian Moon.   

Animal Farm Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. This is an excellent guide to reading George Orwell's classic allegory in its historical context.

 

Reading Stories
A Chalkface Original. A groundbreaking but practical approach to the study of stories based on poststructural theory. By Bronwyn Mellor, Annette Patterson, Marnie O'Neill.

Brother in the Land Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. A comprehensive guide to the study of Robert Swindell's moving post-apocalypse novel. By Guy Dickens.

 

Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. A practical and engaging guide to the study of this enduring Shakespearean classic.

Gendered Fictions
A Chalkface Original. An insightful and practical approach to the study of gender representations and gender readings practices, with nine short stories, a nursery rhyme, two articles and an essay. By Wayne Martino with Bronwyn Mellor.

 

Making Media
From the UK English Centre. Detailed case studies of practical projects on soap operas, sitcoms, rap video, music magazines, and photo-stories. By David Buckingham, Jenny Grahame and Julian Sefton-Green.

Gulliver's Travels Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. An abridged version of the classic text, with commentary, annotations and guides to studying the book and film versions. Edited by Sabrina Broadbent.

 

Comics and Magazines
From the UK English Centre. A lively and insightful approach to the study of these often underrated genres. By Judith Hemming and Jane Leggett.

Macbeth Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. A Practical and engaging guide to the study of one of Shakespeare's most effective Tragedies.






Investigating Texts
Yr 8+. An intriguing exploration of textuality and reading that asks how texts work and how readers make sense of them. By Bronwyn Mellor and Annette Patterson.  

 

Reading Fictions
Yr 10+. An anthology of engaging stories, with activities that test our assumptions and expose how texts and reading practices shape meaning. By Bronwyn Mellor, Annette Patterson, Marnie O'Neill.   





Studying Poetry
Yr 10+. A practical guide to reading and writing about poetry, exploring texts, reading practices, and a range of literary theories. By Brian Moon.   

Reading Hamlet
A Chalkface Original. A detailed, insightful and engaging guide to one of Shakespeare's greatest works, applying historical and theoretical techniques. By Bronwyn Mellor.


 

Z for Zachariah Study Guide
From the UK English Centre. An invaluable guide to the study of Robert O'Brien's powerful post-apocalypse novel.

© 2026. Chalkface Press