Sonja Yelich | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 (age 59–60) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | University of Auckland |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingElla |
Sonja Yelich (Croatian:Jelić; born 1965) is a New Zealand poet. She is the mother of singerLorde.
Sonja Yelich (Croatian:Jelić) was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1965, into an immigrant family from the region ofDalmatia.[1] She studied literature at theUniversity of Auckland and became a trained teacher.[1]
Yelich's early poetry was included inAUP Poets 2 (2002). Her first collection of poems,Clung (Auckland University Press, 2004), won the 2005 Jessie Mackay Award for 'Best First Book of Poetry' at the New Zealand Book Awards.[2] Her poems were chosen for theBest New Zealand Poems series in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2008. She was also included inNew New Zealand Poets in Performance (AUP, July 2008), a book that was released with an accompanyingCD.[1]
Yelich's second collection of poetry,Get Some (AUP, 2008) was a finalist in theNew Zealand Post Book Awards.[3]Get Some focuses on an Americanmarine named "Edgar" who is serving in Iraq.[1]
In 2010 Yelich received aBuddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship (withSarah Laing) that allowed her to write full-time in residence at the Sargeson Centre.[4] The Centre is adjacent to the University of Auckland and recipients receive an annual stipend of NZ$40,000.
Yelich lives in Auckland with her husband Vic O'Connor. They have four children, including Ella (better known asLorde) and India (known asIndy).[5][6][7][8] In June 2014, the couple became engaged,[9] and they married on 6 May 2017.[10]
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