Selina Kucks grew up on the Darling Downs in South-East Queensland, where she showed a passion and talent for singing and dancing. After completing her secondary education at Toowoomba State High she enrolled at the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (now the University of Southern Queensland), graduating with a Diploma of Creative Arts (majoring in painting and music).
In 1988 Kucks accepted a contract to perform at the Seoul Olympic Games, Para-Olympics and the World Tour and Trade Festival in Korea. She then moved to the United Kingdom to work at the Australian Embassy (Queensland House) while also taking dance classes at London Royal Ballet, in Convent Garden. After returning to Australia Kucks completed a BA in Modern Asian Studies majoring in Korean and Political Science at Griffith University, Brisbane). This led to a scholarship to Yonsei University, Seoul in 1993 where she extended her Korean language.
Shortly after her arrival, Kucks won First Prize for Traditional Music at the Daejon World Expo, which led to a cultural reporting position at MBC and a 'Pansori' research position at The Corporation Korea Traditional Art Institute. She later accepted an offer to work with the Korean Commission for UNESCO as Chief Editor. In 1997, Kucks was honoured by the Korean National Ministry of Culture for her service to Korea and the Arts. Following the birth of her son Kucks taught English to underprivileged Korean children on the border of North and South Korea she began writing children's stories for her students, which in turn gave birth to 'The Parchment Series'.
Kucks returned to Australia in 2000 and undertook MA studies in Diplomacy through at Monash University and also taught at the University of Southern Queensland. The first book in 'The Parchment' series was published in 2009 by ELK Publishing (which Kucks had established in Korea). She translated the book in 2010 for the Korean market, and the same year 'The Parchment' was entered for both the Aurealis Awards and Queensland Premier Literary Awards.
In 2012 Kucks established ELK Publishing in Australia under the Sketa Oz brand and published her next children's book, Possum Tales...in the Lettuce Patch, which is the first of a series of five illustrated children's books .
[Sources: The Australian Society of Authors; and Skita Oz]
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