A writer of fiction and non-fiction

In an earlier life Morna graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and worked as an actor for major theatre companies around Australia as well as a number of TV shows. After receiving a Masters in Human Rights Law, she became Founding Chair of Human Rights Watch Australia until she discovered writing in 2018.

Morna has a Masters in Creative writing from UTS and was awarded a 2018 Varuna Residency Fellowship. She was shortlisted for the 2020 Penguin Literary Prize and the 2022 Viva La Novella Prize. In 2023, she received an ASA/Copyright Cultural Fund Mentorship Award.

She’s had a handful of short stories published and was long-listed for the 2019 Peter Carey Short Story Prize, and shortlisted for the 2022 and 2024 Newcastle Short Story Prize, receiving the 2024 Members award.

Morna is currently a reader for Overland Literary Magazine.