Here is a bio you are welcome to use to describe me: Originally from Austria, Christina is a researcher, writer and bookseller based in Edinburgh. They were one of Queer Words Project Scotland’s five Emerging Writers 2018. Their debut novella Amphibian was published by Speculative Books in 2018 and was shortlisted for multiple awards, including the Saltire Society First Book Award. They are also a library assistant with @bipanlibrary, currently working on a novel, and pursuing a PhD. You can find more information and say Hi on http://www.christinaneuwirth.com
Here is….. a longer bio! This is more for your information and in case you would like to find out more.
I was born in Austria in 1990 and moved to Edinburgh in 2013 (my surname is pronounced noy-veer-t, like in the example here). I have previously also lived, for various amounts of time, in New Zealand, Denmark and Australia.
I write fiction and non-fiction, and I hold an MSc in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh. My novella “Amphibian” was shortlisted for the Novella Award in 2016, selected as DIVA Magazine’s Book of the Month for September 2018 and Scottish Review of Books’ Book of the Month for November 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Saltire Society First Book of the Year Award 2018 (read more here on The Bookseller). I put some more details about Amphibian (reviews, stockists, etc) here on the main page of this website, in case you are interested.
I was selected as one of Queer Words Project Scotland‘s five Emerging Writers 2018 and mentored by Shane Strachan. On the 2018 The List Hot 100 I was #91! I was recently invited to participate in a documentary about craft and creativity inspired by Eileen Myles’s FOR NOW created by Lighthouse Bookshop and Harry R Oliver, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a8-HcERTv8 I am a library assistant with the Bi Pan Library project: www.bipanlibrary.com
I am currently undertaking a SGSAH/AHRC-funded PhD in Publishing Studies at University of Stirling, University of Glasgow and Scottish Book Trust, researching gender equality in contemporary Scottish writing and publishing. I began this work in 2017. (That seems like a long time ago.) I have published some early findings from my PhD with the group ROAR, which you can find on www.roar.scot. I have presented my research at conferences in the UK and further afield, including at conferences in Australia, the USA and Italy, and at Scottish literary industry events. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon cited my research findings in a speech in 2019. I am due to finish my PhD in 2022.
My pronouns are she/they.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Fiction
SHORT FICTION: “Resist the urge to put the sea glass into your mouth” in Gutter 19 (2019)
SHORT FICTION: “Sequins” in We Were Always Here: A Queer Words Anthology (404 Ink, 2019) – order here
NOVELLA: Amphibian (Speculative Books, 2018) – I’ve put more information on Amphibian on this page, including references to reviews
SHORT FICTION: “The Glitch” in Issue 1: Error (404 Ink, 2016)
SHORT FICTION: “Sugar Cake Trail” in Gutter 15 (2016)
ILLUSTRATED ZINE: The Anteater (originally printed in 2015), available on Etsy here
Non-fiction
“Memory sounds of making coffee” in The Skinny (May 2021)
“Why I’m only reading bisexual books this year” in The Skinny (February 2019)
“Research notes” on my novella Amphibian, in Necessary Fiction, edited by Steve Himmer (September 2018)
“Lorde” in Fuck What You Love Issue 3 by Claire Biddles (April 2018)
“Winters Garten” in The Unsung Letter by Helen McClory (8 Feb 2018)
“Fictionalising myself: Living with episodes of depersonalisation” in Marbles Mag (Issue 1, 2017)
“Hard Dumplings for Visitors” in Nasty Women (404 Ink, 2017)
Updated 20/01/2022