Cirrus@Austlit

Iryna Romanowski was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia. Her mother was Ukrainian and her father Belarus. Her first language was Russian, but after the death of her father in 1964 she switched to Ukrainian and identifies as a Ukrainian-Australian. Romanowski began writing seriously at age 16 but did not seek to have her poems published. She completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education and taught at high school level for some years. Romanowski has struggled with heroin addiction and bipolar disorder but continues to write. Her first published work appeared in the edited collection I'm Ukrainian Mate!