Eileen Chong is an Australian poet of Hakka, Hokkien and Peranakan descent. She was born and raised in Singapore, and came to Australia as an adult migrant. She started writing poetry in 2010 and is the author of 11 books published in Australia and the United States. Her work has been shortlisted for numerous prizes, such as the Anne Elder Award, the Australian Arts in Asia Award, the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, twice for the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, and twice for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award. Her first book, Burning Rice, is the first single-author collection of poetry by an Asian Australian to be studied as part of the NSW HSC English syllabus. Her ninth book and second collection with UQP, A Thousand Crimson Blooms, was shortlisted for the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry at the 2022 NSW Premier's Literary Awards. She lives and works on unceded Gadigal land of the Eora Nation. eileenchong.com.au