Category:Laura Solomon

Laura Solomon was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1974. She grew up in various places around New Zealand including Auckland, Raetihi and Nelson. She was educated at Otago and Victoria Universities and received an Honours degree in English literature from Victoria University in 1997. She published two novels in 1996 and 1997 with Tandem Press - Black Light and Nothing Lasting. These were generally well received. Following this she made her way to London where she supported herself by working as a Personal Assistant while doing a Masters degree in Computer Science at Birkbeck, University of London in her evenings. She received her Masters in 2003 and commenced work as an IT consultant.

During this time in London she wrote an Imitation of Life, Alternative Medicine and most of the poems in In Vitro. Alternative Medicine was published by Flame Books in 2008 and An Imitation of Life was published by Solidus in 2010. In Vitro was published by Headworx in Wellington in 2010 and then by Proverse in Hong Kong in 2012. Laura purchased a house in New Zealand in 2004 and returned to live there in 2007. She was diagnosed with a rare form of brain tumour in 2010 and had brain surgery on Valentine's Day 2013. She recovered well and continued writing, publishing a number of other books: Instant Messages, Vera Magpie, Hilary and David, The Shingle Bar Sea Monster and Other Stories, University Days, Freda Kahlo's Cry, Brain Graft, Taking Wainui and Marsha's Deal. The three publishers she uses are Proverse (Hong Kong), Woven Words (India) and Creativia (Finland). Her books are in over 120 libraries worldwide and 10 are in the University of Oxford. Her website is www.laurasolomon.co.nz.

Laura is both a British and New Zealand citizen and often enters UK writing competitions. She has won prizes in Bridport, Edwin Morgan, Ware Poets, Willesden Herald, Mere Literary Festival and Essex Poetry Festival competitions. She was short-listed for the 2009 Virginia prize and won the 2009 Proverse Prize. She was short-listed for the 2014 Rubery Award. She has had work accepted in the Edinburgh Review, Orbis and Wasafiri (UK) and Takahe and Landfall (NZ). Laura loved living in London and would like to go back there one day.