Susan Wardell is a writer and academic from Ōtepoti Dunedin, who publishes across multiple literary genres. She has been awarded nationally and internationally for poetry, flash fiction, and essays; including winning the inaugural Headland Te Māra a Tāne essay prize (2021), and twice placing in the Landfall essay competition (2018, 2021).  

Susan recently published her first children's book (The Lighthouse Princess, Penguin Random House 2022), which was awarded a Storylines Notable Book Award (2022), shortlisted for a NZ Booklovers Award (2022), made the Whitcoull’s Kids Top 50 (2022), and is now a finalist in three categories for the 2023 NZCYA Book Awards.