Welcome to the red room. My name is Sarah Jane Barnett, and I am a writer, tutor, and book reviewer from Wellington. I live with my husband Jim, our son Sam, and our enormous ginger cat, Chicken. To sum up my philosophy on life: I eat mostly plants, I am happiest when running, and I believe a good cup of tea can solve a lot of problems.

In 2010 I started a PhD in English at Massey University, New Zealand. The PhD combines creative writing with critical research. My research asks what strategies are used by contemporary poet Robert Hass to write about nature (and if language can actually represent nature). I hope to submit my thesis at the end of 2013.

Aside from that, I have a Masters in Creative Writing from the Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University Wellington. My poetry has been published in a range of New Zealand and Australian journals, and my debut collection, A Man Runs into a Woman, was published by Hue & Cry Press in 2012. You can find a list of my publications, including some poems that are available online, on my publications page.

If you want to get in contact please email me at sarah[at]theredroom[dot]org. Thanks for visiting.

Sarah