Michael Winkler is an Australian writer of fiction and non-fiction, living in Melbourne on unceded lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. His novel Grimmish was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award, the first self-published novel to make the long- or shortlist. It was subsequently published by Puncher & Wattmann (Australia), Peninsula Press (United Kingdom), Coach House Books (North America) and Mutatis Mutandis (Spanish translation – Spain). His next novel, Griefdogg, is due for publication by Text Publishing in early 2026. He won the 2016 Calibre Prize for his essay ‘The Great Red Whale’ about Uluru, relationships between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians, mental illness and Moby Dick. He has self-published two non-fiction titles, and written books for commercial publishers including Penguin, Hardie Grant and Melbourne University Press. His journalism, short fiction, reviews and essays have been widely published and anthologised.