Bella Li

Bella Li (born 1983) is a Chinese-born Australian poet.

Early life and career

Li was born in China in 1983. When she was three she and parents migrated to Australia. Li has an Arts/Law degree from the University of Melbourne.^[1] In 2020 she received a PhD from the same university for her thesis, "The Forest, the Desert and the Road: Chronotopes of American Spaces in Twentieth-century Long-form Poetry; and a Creative Work, 'Hotel America'".^[2]

Her poetry has appeared in Meanjin,^[3] Cordite and other literary journals.^[1] In 2017 Li was awarded a literary grant by the Australia Council.^[4] She served as a judge for the 2020 Overland Judith Wright Poetry Prize.^[5]

Awards and recognition

• Shortlisted, University of Melbourne's Australian Centre Literary Awards, Wesley Michel Wright Prize, 2014 for Maps, Cargo^[6]
• Highly commended, Anne Elder Award, 2017 for Argosy^[7]
• Shortlisted, Red Room Poetry fellowship, 2017^[8]
• Commended, University of Melbourne's Australian Centre Literary Awards, Wesley Michel Wright Prize, 2017 for Argosy^[9]
• Winner, Victorian Premier's Literary Awards Poetry Prize, 2018 for Argosy^[10]
• Winner, NSW Premier's Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, 2018 for Argosy^[11]
• Shortlisted, Queensland Literary Awards Judith Wright Calanthe Award, 2018 for Lost Lake^[12]
• Shortlisted, NSW Premier's Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, 2022 for Theory of Colour^[13]

Works

• Li, Bella (2013). Maps, Cargo. Sydney: Vagabond Press.
• —— (2017). Argosy. Sydney: Vagabond Press. ISBN 9781922181961.
• —— (2018). Lost Lake. Sydney: Vagabond Press. ISBN 9781925735185.
• —— (2021). Theory of Colour. Sydney: Vagabond Press. ISBN 9781925735239.