Kirli Saunders
About

Kirli Saunders is a proud Gunai woman, with ties to the Yuin, Gundungurra, Gadigal and Biripi people. She currently resides on Dharawal Country. Kirli is an international children’s author, poet and emerging playwright. She manages Poetry in First Languages and Poetic Learning at Red Room Poetry. Her picture books include CBCA nominated and internationally published, The Incredible Freedom Machines (Scholastic) and forthcoming, Our Dreaming and Happy Every After (Scholastic) and Afloat (Hardie Grant). Her poetry Collection, Kindred was Highly Commended in Black&Write 2018. She was Runner-up in the Nakata Brophy Prize 2018. Her poetry has been published by a number of journals (Cordite, Overland, Planthunter) and commissioned for public art. She is co-writing her first play, Dead Horse Gap.
In 2019, you can find Kirli at NT Writers Festival, Queensland Poetry Festival, Sydney Writers Festival, Enough Said and Word in Hand. She returns as writer in residence at The Literature Centre, Fremantle this year where she will perform The Incredible Freedom Machines with Matt Ottley and the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra in rural WA, at Coco’s Island and Christmas Island.
Reflections
Taking a dream from conception to delivery – Poetry in First Languages – Kirli Saunders
Projects
- ACTATE 2019
- Bargo Public School
- Berkeley West Public School, NSW
- Cherrybrook Technology High School 2017
- Cookaroo Flow
- Corrimal High School - NAIDOC Celebrations
- Cranbourne West Primary School x EEPP
- EEPP x Kangaroo Valley Primary School
- EEPP x Shoalhaven High School
- EEPP x University of the Third Age (U3A)
- ETA Conference
- ETA Q Station Professional Development 2018
- Eucalyptus Eco-Poetry Project
- Farmborough Road Public School, 2019
- Fountain Gate Primary School x EEPP
- Indigenous Story Telling - Premier's Reading Challenge
- Kangaroo Valley Primary School
- KeepCup Poetry
- New Shoots: Garden of Poems
- Poetry in First Languages
- Poetry in First Languages 2018
- Poetry in First Languages (Arrernte) - Centralian Senior College
- Poetry in First Languages (Arrernte) - Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School
- Poetry in First Languages (Dharawal) - Kemblawarra Public School
- Poetry in First Languages (Dharawal) - Warrawong High School
- Poetry in First Languages (Dharawal) - Warrawong Public School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gadigal) - Alexandria Park Community School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gadigal) - Laramba School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gadigal) - Ntaria School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Aurora Southern Highlands Steiner School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Berrima Public School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Bowral High School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Bowral Public School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Mittagong Public School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Moss Vale High School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Moss Vale High School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - Moss Vale Public School
- Poetry in First Languages (Gundungurra) - St Pauls Primary School 2019
- Poetry in First Languages (Yuin) - Jervis Bay School
- Poetry in First Languages (Yuin) - North Nowra Public School
- Poetry in First Languages (Yuin) - Nowra East Public School
- Refugee Week 2017 - Exhibition 23/6
- Refugee Week 2017 - Keira High School
- Refugee Week 2017 Poetry Reading and Installation
- Refugee Week 2017 - Wollongong High School
- Refugee Week 2017 - Wollongong Public School
- Refugee Week 2017 - Wollongong West Primary School
- RUOK? Day 2017
- St John's Catholic Primary School Footscray
- St Peter's College Cranbourne
- Tumbalong Gatherers
- Waniora Public School, NSW
- Wingecarribee Shire Council, NSW
- Wollongong City Council Annual Reconciliation Conference
- Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts
- Wollongong Public School
- Wollongong West Public School
- Youth Unlocked - Coreen School
Audio
- Origins of Poetry in First Languages by Kirli Saunders
- Prime Petals
- Wildflower
- Bower Boy
- Fleeting Beauty
- Bloom