Saradha Koirala (born 19 July 1980) is a New Zealand poet and writer based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. She is the author of three poetry collections and two Young Adult novels. Koirala also writes literature reviews and has interviewed international authors and covered events such as the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival. She was the convening judge for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry in the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Background

Koirala was born

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to a New Zealand mother and Nepali father. She grew up in Nelson, New Zealand and was educated at

Otago University , 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 ...

receiving a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in English and later qualified as a secondary school teacher with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching from

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well kno ...

. In 2007, Koirala completed the highly regarded Master of Creative Writing at Victoria's

International Institute of Modern Letters The International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) ( mi, Te Pūtahi Tuhi Auaha o te Ao) is a centre of creative writing based within Victoria University of Wellington. Founded in 2001, the IIML offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses (i ...

under visiting tutor Dora Malech. Koirala is also a member of the

New Zealand Society of Authors The New Zealand Society of Authors (PEN New Zealand Inc.) promotes and protects the interests of New Zealand writers. It was founded as the New Zealand PEN Centre (Poets, Essays and Novelists) in 1934. It broadened its scope and became the New Ze ...

and the Academy of New Zealand Literature.

Publications

*''Wit of the Staircase'' (poetry) Steele Roberts Aotearoa, 2009 *''Tear Water Tea'' (poetry) Steele Roberts Aotearoa, 2013 *''Lonesome When You Go'' (YA fiction)

Mākaro Press Mākaro Press is a New Zealand publisher based in Wellington. It was founded in 2013 and has published several award-winning books including ''Auē'' by Becky Manawatu. History Mākaro was founded in 2013 by novelist and editor Mary McCallu ...

, 2016 * ''Photos of the Sky'' (poetry) The Cuba Press, 2018 *''Learning to love Blue'' (YA fiction) Record Press, 2021

Awards

''Lonesome When You Go'' received a Storylines Notable Book Award, 2017 ''Learning to love Blue'' won the Young Adult Fiction Award in the 2022

New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults The New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults are a series of literary awards presented annually to recognise excellence in children and young adult's literature in New Zealand. The awards began in 1982 as the New Zealand Governm ...

References

External links

Saradha Koirala's websiteRadio New Zealand interview with KoiralaLandfall review of Tear Water TeaTakahe Review of Tear Water TeaReview of Learning to love Blue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koirala, Saradha New Zealand poets New Zealand women poets University of Otago alumni 1980 births Living people International Institute of Modern Letters alumni