Adiela Akoo

Adiela Akoo was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and raised and educated in the neighbouring city of Durban, where she also received the prestigious Dux Award. Apart from writing, she has a background in banking and comprehensive healing and in her spare time loves creating art and crafts using mixed media.

She was nominated as one of the Top 7 ‘Most Promising Literary Influencers’ in the GBCAwards 2020 and received the Silver Star Award from the Global Literary Society for her ‘excellent contribution to world literature’, among others. She was included in the Best Emerging Poets of 2019 series, has won poetry contests, and been published in a variety of journals and anthologies across the world. Her poems have been translated into Russian, Turkish, Bangla and Odia, and even quoted in The House of Parliament. ‘Lost in a Quatrain’, her deep, soulful, debut collection, was written over a period of 18 years and has been receiving wonderful reviews from established and award winning writers, as well as readers. Her second collection will be released in 2022.

As an ambassador of literacy, she volunteers her time in the position of Vice Chair of Litasa, KZN – The Literacy Association of South Africa. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the new literary journal, The Quilled Ink Review, launching in the coming year.
Adiela is married and they have three children, a son and two daughters.