Shastra Deo was born in Fiji, raised in Melbourne, and lives in Brisbane. She holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts in Writing and English Literature; First Class Honours and a University Medal in Creative Writing; a Master of Arts in Writing, Editing and Publishing; and a Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing from The University of Queensland. Her first book, The Agonist (UQP 2017), won the 2016 Arts Queensland Thomas Shapcott Poetry Prize and the 2018 Australian Literature Society Gold Medal. Her second book, The Exclusion Zone (UQP 2023), is out now. You can find her online @shastradeo or at www.shastradeo.com.