Louise Wallace

Louise Mary Wallace (born 1983) is a New Zealand poet.

Background Wallace was born in Gisborne in 1983. She received a BA from Victoria University of Wellington in 2004 and an MA in creative writing at the International Institute of Modern Letters (Victoria University of Wellington) in 2008. She lives in Dunedin with her husband and son.

Works Wallace's writing explores family stories and relationships, travel, and music. Enough (Victoria University Press, 2013) Bad Things (Victoria University Press, 2017) This is a Story About Your Mother (Te Herenga Waka University Press, 2023) Wallace's first novel, Ash, was published by Te Herenga Waka University Press in 2024. The novel was acquired by Allen & Unwin and published in Australia in 2025. HarperCollins will published Ash in the United States in May 2026.

Wallace is the founder and editor of Starling, a literary journal showcasing young New Zealand writers.

Wallace has taught creative writing at Massey University and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology. While at Victoria University of Wellington, she was awarded the Biggs Prize for Poetry.

In 2025, Ash was longlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.