Iona Winter is a poet, essayist, storyteller and editor.

With four published collections of poetry and hybrid fiction, and most recently her first work of creative non-fiction A Counter of Moons (2025) the 2022 CLNZ/NZSA Writers’ Award recipient, her work has been anthologised and shortlisted internationally.

Seeing a gap in New Zealand’s literature, in 2023 she founded Elixir & Star Press – an indie press dedicated to the expression of grief in New Zealand. In 2026, she launched the podcast rocks in my pockets – creativity and suicide bereavement – New Zealand artists speak.

Iona’s creative work includes poems spray-painted on fences, collaborative exhibitions with mixed-media artists, and performances at festivals locally and abroad.

When she’s not writing you’ll probably find her in the garden. Iona lives on New Zealand’s southern West Coast. 

To get in touch, please contact Iona below:

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