Cate Kennedy

Cate Kennedy was born in the town of Louth in the county of Lincolnshire, England in 1963. As a child, her family moved to Australia, where she still lives today. Throughout her childhood, her family travelled to and lived in many different places within both Australia and the United Kingdom. She studied literature at Canberra College of Advanced Education and the Australian National University, and then worked several jobs before becoming a successful fiction writer, including working as a community arts worker in rural Victoria. For two years she also lived in Central Mexico, where she worked as a volunteer and taught literacy to illiterate communities. Her writing is often inspired by her political observations of society’s weaknesses and the struggles faced by low-income or impoverished communities, largely based on experiences she has had working adjacent to these communities. “Habit,” her award-winning short story was inspired by flaws and dangers she saw in the Australian Customs Service, which she also briefly worked for. She is primarily a short-story writer, and has had two short story collections published: Dark Roots (2006) Like a House on Fire (2012). She has also written poetry and nonfiction, and her sole novel, The World Beneath (2019) was shortlisted for and won several awards. She currently lives on a farm in Victoria, Australia and teaches at several colleges in addition to writing.