Kierin Meehan (born in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian children's book author, teacher and choreographer.
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As a child, Meehan wanted to be a ballet dancer or a veterinarian, but her life took a different path when she discovered she did not like wearing pointe shoes and was afraid of animals.[1] Meehan studied at the University of Queensland, where she received a degree in German and Japanese. She later obtained a graduate degree in performing arts (dance) from the Queensland University of Technology, and worked as a dance teacher and choreographer for ten years.[2] Meehan also taught German and Japanese language lessons, and lived in Japan for several years.
Meehan began writing in Esashi, a town on the west coast of Hokkaidō, Japan, when she was asked to write a monthly column for the town's magazine.[3] To date, she has written three books: Hannah's Winter (2001), Night Singing (2003) and In the Monkey Forest (2005). Hannah's Winter was a notable book in the 2002 CBC Awards, and Night Singing and In the Monkey Forest both received the Patricia Wrightson Prize.[1][4] She is currently working on a fourth novel, Ten Rules for Detectives, due to be published in 2008.[5]
Meehan is currently a Japanese teacher in Eagle Junction State School in Brisbane, QLD, Australia.[5]