RiP Steph Bowe

Australian YA author Steph Bowe has died, aged 25, due to complications from T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, a form of leukemia.

Bowe began her career as a blogger before publishing her first book at age 16, her 2010 debut Girl Saves Boy (Text). She published two further novels with Text: All This Could End, which was longlisted for the 2014 Gold Inky Award, and Night Swimming, which was a Children’s Book Council of Australian (CBCA) Notable Book in 2018. In 2016 she was a May Gibbs Children’s Literature Trust fellow, and her work has been translated into Spanish, Dutch and Catalan.

Bowe’s long-time editor Penny Hueston says:

‘Everyone at Text Publishing is completely devastated by the death of the extraordinary YA writer Steph Bowe. We will miss her compassionate, wise, generous spirit and her wit, humour and intelligence. She wasn’t just a brilliant writer, whose first novel Girl Saves Boy was published when she was just 16, and who wrote two more wonderfully original books: All this Could End and Night Swimming. She was also a truly good person, and was always a joy to work with. She loved doing school and library sessions and her books touched the lives of countless readers of all ages. Our hearts go out to her family and friends and to all the YA community who knew and loved this very special young woman.

‘Donations can be directed to the Leukaemia Foundation, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital or Gold Coast University Hospital all of which have been integral in supporting the Bowe family.’

Many authors and industry folk have also written messages of condolence on Twitter, including Bowe’s agent Ginger Clark, and Australian authors Gabrielle Tozer, Emily Gale, Lili Wilkinson, Alison Evans, Jenna Guillaume, Amie Kaufman, Ellie Marney and Pip Harry.

Category: Obituaries