Maris O'Rourke has had a long career in education that included training teachers; the first Secretary for Education in NZ; the first Director of Education for The World Bank; and an International Education Consultant. Her international experience is extensive and wide-ranging and she has worked in or on more than 50 countries. Throughout, Maris has been a vocal advocate and supporter of the Education for All movement and a lifelong campaigner for education for girls and women. She has been writing for five years and published in Takahe, Poetry New Zealand, Bravado, 'a fine line', Shot Glass Journal (USA), Otago Daily Times, International Literary Quarterly (UK), Side Stream, Tyneside Poets (UK), The Fib Review (USA), Flash Frontier and Landfall. Maris has been well-placed in a number of competitions: runner-up in the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Auckland Sonnet competition; second in the Robert Burns Poetry Competition; highly commended in The Caselberg Trust International Poetry Prize; first in the South Island Writers Association (SIWA) National Competition; and a finalist in the Kevin Ireland Poetry Competition. She has also been the recipient of a mentorship from the NZSA; the inaugural featured poet in the New Zealand Poetry Society's 'a fine line'; the Guest Poet in Poetry New Zealand (Issue #44); and her first children's book Lillibutt's Big Adventure, illustrated by Claudia Pond Eyley, was published in June 2012 by Duck Creek Press. Maris has performed her poetry at Lounge, Poetry Live, In Voice and Music, Rhythm and Verse and been featured on Radio NZ's Nine to Noon. This is her first poetry collection.