Kaz Cooke is one of Australia’s most loved bestselling authors.

Her books have sustained two generations of Australians with sensible advice, backed by expert medical and other consultants, delivered in a fun, friendly way. Award-winning and best-selling books include Up The Duff (The Real Guide to Pregnancy), Babies & Toddlers, Girl Stuff 8-12, and Girl Stuff (Your Full-on Guide to the Teen Years), and You’re Doing It Wrong: A History of Bad & Bonkers Advice to Women. Her latest book It’s The Menopause, was released in October 2023.

She has extensive experience in radio and public speaking, and a special affinity with girls and women.

Website: kazcooke.com.au has examples of Kaz’s audio work and more information on books, cartoons and other palaver.
Instagram: reallykazcooke
Twitter: reallykazcooke
Facebook: Official Kaz Cooke
Tumblr: Fellowfrockery.tumblr.com (A State Library Victoria fellowship project)

Born Victoria, Australia 1962.

1981: Joined The Age newspaper as cadet journalist. Worked in Melbourne and the Sydney bureau as a general news and features reporter. Began work as a freelance cartoonist.

1984: Wrote and illustrated The Modern Girls Guide to Everything, published by McPhee Gribble.

1985-1987: Hermoine the Modern Girl cartoon strip published weekly in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

1986-7: Editor of the entertainment section of The Age.

1987-20teens: Features editor of independent newspaper Business Daily, (it survived 6 weeks). Thereafter a freelance columnist and reporter with columns at various times in The Weekend Australian, Dolly magazine, The Eye, Cane Toad Times, The Women’s Weekly, The Sunday Age, Who Weekly, and the Kidspot website, among other organs. Freelance cartoonist for many clients including women’s groups, Family Planning Australia and others.

1987-1989: Freelance journalist, Darwin. Worked for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, ABC radio, and, not as a reporter, at Land Rights News and briefly at Central Land Council (Alice Springs).

1988: Wrote and illustrated The Modern Girls Guide to Safe Sex, published by McPhee Gribble.

1990: Edited and illustrated a collection of my own Keep Yourself Nice etiquette columns from The Age, published by Allen & Unwin.

1992: Wrote The Crocodile Club, a novel published by Allen & Unwin.

1994: Wrote and illustrated Real Gorgeous: The Real Guide to Body and Beauty, published by Allen and Unwin.

1994: Winner of the Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for best animated short film, for ‘Gorgeous’.

1997: Illustrated reissue of 1858 edition of The Arts of Beauty and Hints to Gentlemen on the Art of Fascinating by Lola Montez.

1998: Co-presenter of weekly radio show, Foxy Ladies, with Judith Lucy.

1999: Wrote and illustrated Up the Duff: The Real Guide to Pregnancy, published by Penguin Books. New edition 2009. It has remained in print, with updates, since.

2000: Wrote and illustrated the children’s book The Terrible Underpants, published by Penguin.

2002: Wrote and illustrated the children’s book Wanda-Linda Goes Berserk, published by Penguin.

2003: Wrote and illustrated Kidwrangling: Looking After Babies & Toddlers (various subtitles). New edition 2010. Has remained in print, with updates, since.

2004-5: Commercial radio program team member, Austereo network.

2007: Wrote and illustrated Girl Stuff: The Full-on Guide To the Teen Years. Has remained in print, with updates, since. Winner of the Australian Book Industry general non-fiction book of the year.

2008: Australian Bookseller’s Choice award; honour prize from Children’s Book Council of Australia.

2010-2012: Active part-time ambassador for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

2011: Wrote Women’s Stuff, published by Penguin with supplementary eBooks on women’s health, including an enduring free download for women, Escaping Control and Abuse.

2013: International Women’s Day address for Australian Consulate-General, Shanghai M Literary Festival.

2013-14: Creative Fellow at the State Library of Victoria, produced an exhibition with staff curators and conservators, called Raiment & Regalia: What Have You Come As? which remained on display for a year in the dome galleries, featuring items from the collection. A companion blog, FellowFrockery, is still accessible on Tumblr (see below). Library office tenancy extended. Hosted public events for the Library.

2016: Wrote and illustrated Girl Stuff 8-12: Your Guide to the Pre-Teen Years, published by Penguin Random House. Longlisted for Australian Book Industry non fiction award 2017.

2017: Using research from the State Library of Victoria, the National Library’s Trove and other sources, researched and wrote Ada, a novel about a real vaudevillian performer 1880s-1910, published by Penguin. Ada is illustrated with historical photographs from various sources.

2018: Wrote and illustrated Babies & Toddlers, published by Penguin Random House, the new sequel to Up the Duff

2019: Three-month research fellowship at the National Library of Canberra.

2021: November publication of You’re Doing It Wrong: A History of Bad & Bonkers Advice to Women, with 300 photos, published by Penguin Random House and recorded accompanying audiobook. Conducted a research survey of more than 9000 people in preparation for a forthcoming book about menopause.

2023: October publication of It’s The Menopause: What you need to know in your 40s, 50s and beyond, published by Penguin Random House.

Ongoing: Continuing yearly updates publications of the Girl Stuff books, Up the Duff and Babies & Toddlers.