KIEREN MEEHAN

AUTHOR

Kierin Meehan, born in Brisbne, wanted to be a ballerina or a vet, but chose to teach instead because pointe shoes hurt and she was frightened of animals. She studied German and Japanese, completed a performing arts course specialising in dance, then worked as a dance teacher and choreographer (her favourite thing) for ten years.

It was not until she went to live in a small windswept town on Hokkaido's west coast that she thought about writing. Her first novel, HANNAH'S WINTER, published in 2001, was shortlisted for the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the 2002 NSW Premier's Literary Awards and was a notable Book in the 2002 CBC Awards. HANNAH'S WINTER is a lovely combination of fact, fantasy, humour and touching sincerity, and follows Australian teenager Hannah as she spends a semester in Japan.

Her second novel, NIGHT SINGING, is set in contemporary Australia. Published in 2003, it is a funny and fascinating story of the relationships that form during adolescence and incorporates a moving tale of survival in Hiroshima at the end of the Second World War.

Kierin enjoys bushwalking (slowly), dancing and reading. Talking to people as part of her research is one of her favourite parts of writing. Living once again in Brisbane, she is available to talk to secondary students.