Cate Kennedy is the author of the critically acclaimed short-story collection Dark Roots and the novel The World Beneath, as well as poetry collections and a travel memoir. Her work has appeared in many publications and anthologies, including The Best Australian Stories, the Harvard Review and the New Yorker. She is highly regarded as a teacher of short fiction and works as a mentor, editor and judge when not at work on her own writing. She lives in north-east Victoria.