Majella Cullinane, born in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, Ireland is an author based in New Zealand.

Background

Born and raised in Ireland, Cullinane became a New Zealand resident in 2008. She has a MLitt. in Creative Writing from the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

, Scotland, and completed a PhD in Creative Practice at the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

. Her doctoral advisors were Vincent O'Sullivan and

Liam McIlvanney Liam McIlvanney is a Scottish-born crime fiction writer and academic at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and the inaugural holder of the Stuart Chair in Scottish studies at Otago. He is the son of William McIlvanney. Works Fiction *''All t ...

. She currently lives in

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

, New Zealand. Cullinane draws inspiration for her work from myths and history, with her poems exploring nature and dreams, real and imagined people. Her collection ''Guarding the Flame'' takes its title from the myth surrounding Saint Bridgid’s flame in Kildare.

Works

* ''Guarding the Flame'' (Salmon Poetry, 2011), collection of poetry * ''The Life of De'Ath'' (Steele Roberts Aotearoa, 2018), novel * ''Whisper of a Crow's Wing'' (Salmon Poetry and Otago University Press, 2018)

Awards

Her first novel,''The Life of De'Ath'', was shortlisted for the 2016 Dundee International Book Prize. and longlisted for the 2019 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. In 2014 she was awarded the

Robert Burns Fellowship The Robert Burns Fellowship is a New Zealand literary residency. Established in 1958 to coincide with bicentennial celebrations of the birth of Robert Burns, it is often claimed to be New Zealand's premier literary residency. The list of past ...

, a literary residency at the

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, New Zealand. Cullinane has also received a Seán Dunne Young Writers' Awards for Poetry, an Irish Arts Council Award and the Hennessy XO/Irish Times Literary Award for Emerging Poetry.

Background

Works

Awards

References

Further reading