Kirsten Deane is currently completing prelims for her PhD that focuses on the representation of disabilities in South African literature. She completed her Master’s degree in Creative Writing at the University of the Western Cape. While being a full-time student, Kirsten also spent her time working on the craft of her writing and finding her own unique voice. This resulted in her poems being published in numerous publications, nationally and internationally, including The Best New African Poets 2019, 2020, and 2022 anthologies. Her main area of research is the lived experiences of people with disabilities and exploring them through creative methodologies. As of 2024, Kirsten is a member of the International Advisory Committee for the Disability and Inclusion Africa Network. Kirsten has been a guest speaker at multiple conferences including: the 8th International Symposium of Poetic Inquiry (2022), where she presented poetry and research on exploring disabilities through Poetic Inquiry; The Disability and Inclusion Africa Networks Alternative Explanations: Disability in African Arts (2022), and The Disability and Inclusion Africa Towards Disability Inclusion in African Contexts. Kirsten was one of the Lecturers/facilitators at the Human Sciences Research Council’s Poetic Inquiry workshops held in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban (2023). Kirsten is a disability research consultant for the Oppie Bol Disability Awareness Foundation. She is currently a Poetic Inquiry facilitator and disability researcher at the Human Sciences Research Council.