Biography
Cheryl Leavy is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland. She is an award-winning poet and writer who loves to tell stories that celebrate First Nations culture, history and Country. Yanga Mother is her first picture book. Cheryl loves her job as a writer because it gives her endless opportunities to work with friends to make beautiful books together.
Cheryl Leavy won the 2026 Peter Porter Poetry Prize for her poem "Kumanjayi". This award, presented by the Australian Book Review, is one of Australia's most prestigious poetry prizes, honouring the life and work of the late poet Peter Porter.
