Luisa Ternau hails from Trieste, in the north-eastern corner of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. Since both her parents kept strong connections to their native land of Istria, a historically multicultural and multilingual region, Luisa has always wondered how cultural identity is shaped and what is at its core.
It was at elementary school that Luisa wrote her first pieces. Decades later and in Hong Kong, Luisa resumed composing poems and stories. Her first submitted poem, “Spring in My Heart”, won a third prize in the International Proverse Poetry competition in 2016.
After graduating from the University of Trieste, Luisa moved to London, where she later received a master’s in English literature at King’s College, University of London. A sense of curiosity in local life is a motivation which accompanies her to the places she has chosen to live. After working in Japan and the US, Luisa moved to Hong Kong in 2011. Work commitments here have restricted the time she has for her beloved writing. However, it is in Hong Kong that mentoring has enabled her to publish poetry and short stories. She has had poems published in “Mingled Voices”, the annual International Proverse Poetry Prize anthology, and short stories included in WiPS annual anthology “Imprint”. Luisa has also translated “Sightings”, a collection of poetry by her friend and fellow WiPS member Dr Gillian Bickley, into Italian. The book was published in early 2020.
Luisa writes creatively in English, Italian and her native Triestine dialect.