Kathleen Stewart (1958- ) has been writing poetry and prose for over two decades. She began penning verse when she was about seven years old, and in her late teens turned to the poetic forms of the ancient Greeks for inspiration. In her twenties, she was lead vocalist for the Australian 80s band Upside Down House. The band only released two titles in their short life; the EP 'Mauve Xylophone' in 1982, and the 7" single ''Salomé'' two years after. She was a backing vocalist on Meera Atkinson's album 'This Is The Planet' (1987). During that time, she decided that she was tired of trying to fit writing in part-time, and she decided to devote all her time to it.
Although she began writing seriously in her twenties, Stewart's work was not published until she was thirty years old. She has written eight novels and published two books of poetry. Her novel
Spilt Milk was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Award, and her memoir
The After Life was shortlisted for the Nita Kibble Literary Award. Her latest novel
Men of Bad Character was published by the University of Queensland Press in June, 2010. She currently lives in the Blue Mountains.
