Sara M Saleh

Sara M Saleh is a writer/poet and human rights lawyer of Palestinian, Egyptian, and Lebanese heritage. Her prose, poetry and non-fiction have been widely published in English and Arabic across dozens of literary platforms, and she has shared her work globally on stages from Brooklyn to Bangalore. Sara made history in Australia as the first poet to win both the prestigious Peter Porter and the Judith Wright Poetry Prizes (2020-21). Her debut novel, Songs for the Dead and the Living (Affirm, 2023), and her poetry collection, The Flirtation of Girls (UQP, 2023), have received multiple national and international prizes and shortlistings between them, and won the 2024 Barbara Jefferis Award and 2024 Anne Elder Award respectively. She is the recipient of the inaugural Affirm fellowship for Sweatshop writers, and writers residencies at Varuna, Amant New York and Banff Arts Center, among other honours and accolades

Rooted in the belief that literacy is a tool for liberation, Sara has rallied communities of artists across continents to create sustainable, generative, and inclusive spaces for craft, connection, and critical consciousness. From co-founding the Muslim Poetry Project to leading workshops in countless classrooms, community spaces, and festivals around the world, Sara has uplifted hundreds of storytellers over the last decade.