AustLit

Frances Hackney received her Doctor of Science degree in 1949 and has worked in research and teaching capacities at the University of Sydney, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the University of New South Wales, Macquarie University and the Sydney College of Chiropractic. Married to engineer, Walter Frolich, Hackney continued to use her single name for her poetry and her married name for her professional scientific publications. A long time admirer of the works of Cardinal Newman, she became a Catholic in 1943. She has been a member of the International Writers Association, the Society of Women Writers, and a Writing Fellow in the Fellowship of Australian Writers. Hackney has won numerous awards and prizes, both Australian and international, for her poetry including the NSW Senior Citizens Gold Medal for Poetry in 1989. Many of her poems have been translated into other languages.