Mark Isaacs

Mark Isaacs is an author with a deep commitment to human rights. He uses his writing and photography to tell stories of displacement, conflict and migration, challenging abuses of power and shedding light on social justice issues all around the world.He has written three books, the first of which was The Undesirables: Inside Nauru (Hardie Grant 2014), a whistle-blowing account of his work with asylum seekers in the Nauru detention centre. After publishing The Undesirables, Mark has become a fierce advocate for the rights of displaced people in Australia and globally.

He has built a career on challenging state power to expose social injustice and defend the human rights of individuals. His foundational creative practice is writing accessible and compelling nonfiction.

Mark has published two other books, Nauru Burning (Editia, 2016) and The Kabul Peace House (Hardie Grant, 2019), exhibited photos in various galleries around Australia, and was recently awarded a doctor of philosophy for his work examining the human rights implications of Australia's war on people smugglers. Former president of PEN Sydney, Mark is currently working on a book about immigration detention in Australia and a comedy television series about asylum seekers.

Mark and his family moved to northern NSW in 2021, where he writes and works as a sessional academic.