David Beach was born in 1959 and grew up mainly in Wellington, going to Onslow College and Victoria University. In 1986 he moved to Sydney where he worked as a mail sorter for Australia Post . He began writing poems in Australia and these have been published in various newspapers and magazines, including The Sydney Morning Herald , The Australian , The Bulletin , The Canberra Times , Southerly , Quadrant , Overland and Island . His poem "Parachute" was chosen as one of the Best New Zealand Poems 2003.  In 2002 he returned to Wellington where, for a change, he found work as a mail sorter for New Zealand Post. His debut collection Abandoned Novel was published by VUP in 2006, was followed by The End of Atlantic City (2008) and Scenery & Agriculture (2012). In March 2008 David won the prestigous Prize in Modern Letters. That a book of poems can win a $65,000 prize makes me feel as if I've stumbled into a parallel universe where poetry is considered important.

David Beach.