Carolyn Leach-Paholski received a BA in 1984, and a Grad. Dip. in Librarianship in 1987, both from Melbourne University. She has worked as a reference librarian and project officer at Deakin University, and as publications officer in government and non-government organisations.
Leach-Paholski's awards and and prizes include: HQ Magazine short story prize 1997, Verandah National Poetry Prize 1998, The Somerset National Poetry Prize 2002 (formerly The Josephine Ulrick Poetry Prize), runner up Wildcare Tasmanian Nature Writer's Prize 2003. A novel in progress, The Grasshopper Shoe, was shortlisted for both a Varuna Manuscript Development Award and The David T.K. Wong Fellowship at the University of East Anglia (UK).