romesh dissanayake is a Sri Lankan and Koryo Saram writer, poet and chef from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington (Aotearoa New Zealand), currently living on unceded Wurundjeri Country. His work explores ideas of identity, decolonisation and place. romesh’s poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in various print and online publications including The Spinoff, Newsroom, Pantograph Punch, Enjoy Contemporary Art Space and A Clear Dawn: An Anthology of Emerging Asian New Zealand Writers. His first novel, When I open the shop (Te Herenga Waka University Press 2023), was the winner of the 2022 Modern Letters Fiction Prize from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. His chapbook poetry collection, Favourite Flavour House, is featured in AUP New Poets 10 published by Auckland University Press.

Top Titles

• When I open the shop (2023)
• Favourite Flavour House – part of AUP New Poets 10 (2024)