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Biography
Kirsten Miller is a South African novelist, writer and artist. Her first book Children on the Bridge: A Story of Autism in South Africa (ISBN 978-1770092099) is an autobiographical account of her work as a tutor of autistic children. It details the challenges in dealing with these children and their families and the effect this work has on her personal life.
Her novel All is Fish (ISBN 978-1770092181) was shortlisted for the 2005 European Union Literary Awards. The novel is set in the resort town of Mtunzini in Zululand, South Africa and deals warmly with the complex relationships between the three central protagonists.
In May 2014 the novel Sister Moon (ISBN 978-1415207024) was published by Random House. Sister Moon is a story of love and growing up, of exclusion and abuse.
She has published short stories in 5 collections ("When the Master Calls", "The Chief's Spell", "White Boy", "Chance Encounter", "Only in Art" and "Mobile" published in Uncovered Mirrors, African Road, African Compass, Dinaane: Short Stories by South African Women, New Writing in Africa and Africa Inside Out, respectively), and was also a finalist 3 times in the SA Pen Awards. In 2012 her autism themed play "Remember Joe" was published in Short, Sharp and Snappy, a collection of plays by South African playwrights and authors.
Kirsten has written an illustrated children's book, "A Time for Fairies", which was published in South Africa in 2008.
Miller was featured in the 2008 and the 2015 Time of the Writer International Writers Festival alongside Breyten Breytenbach, Charles Mungoshi, Ananda Devi and John Pilger. Miller has been a featured book reviewer for the Sunday Times and has contributed regularly to South African Airways's inflight magazine Sawubona. SABC TV featured Kirsten in the series The Power Within , aired in December 2009, where she discussed her work in autism, writing and art.
Kirsten Miller's artwork works in fabric, oils and watercolours, drawing inspiration from her surroundings and thoughts. Johannesburg's Unity Gallery has held a solo exhibitions of her work in 2005 and 2012. Her lifesize fabric, beads and fibreglass commission of African Moo-nlight for CowParade was purchased on auction by the brewer SABMiller.
Miller has a BA (Hons.) cum laude and an MA summa cum laude from the University of Natal and has held jobs as a university lecturer, creativity teacher and dolphin trainer. She has lived in London, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Kirsten currently lives in Durban and manages an early intervention centre for autistic children (Action in Autism) as well as attending to her artwork and writing.