# Kyla Ward

Kyla (Lee) Ward is an Australian writer of speculative fiction, poet and actor. Her work has been nominated multiple times for the Ditmar Award, the Aurealis Award, the Australian Shadows Award, the Bram Stoker Award and the Rhysling Award. She won the Aurealis Award in 2006 for her collaborative novel Prismatic (as by 'Edwina Grey').

## Biography

Ward was born in New South Wales, Australia. She attended the University of Technology, Sydney where she gained a BA in communications.

## Writing

Ward was first published in 1994 with her poem "Mary" which was featured in the magazine Bloodsongs. In 2002 her short story "The Boneyard" was nominated for the Ditmar Award for best short fiction but lost to Lucy Sussex and Jack Dann. In 2006 she won her first award with the novel Prismatic, co-authored with Evan Paliatseas and David Carroll under the shared pseudonym of Edwina Grey. Prismatic tied with Will Elliott's The Pilo Family Circus to win the Aurealis Award for best horror novel.
Ward has also contributed to role-playing games including Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game by Eden Studios, Inc. and White Wolf's Demon: The Fallen.

## Acting

Ward has also been a member of the Theatre of Blood repertory company where she acted and also wrote. In 2018 she became the eponymous Guide to Deadhouse, Tales Of Sydney Morgue, an immersive theatre production devoted to true crime in Sydney city and taking place at historic locations. Ward wrote and produced and acted in the short film Bad Reception which premiered at A Night of Horror 2009 and screened at the Vampire Film Festival in New Orleans. Ward has also worked as an assistant director and sound recordist in a number of short films, for instance as sound recordist on Indulgence (1996) (written and directed by Glenn Fraser).

## Artwork

Apart from illustrating her own collections, Ward also has contributed artwork for various publications including Fables and Reflections, the cover of Epiphanies of Blood: Tales of Desperation and Thirst, Southern Blood, Borderlands, Bloodsongs, Tabula-Rasa, and Burnt Toast.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
| 2002 | Ditmar Award | "The Boneyard" | Best short fiction | Nomination |
| 2002 | Ditmar Award | Tabula-Rasa (with David Carroll) | Best fan production | Nomination |
| 2003 | Aurealis Award | "Kijin Tea" | Best horror short story | Nomination |
| 2004 | Ditmar Award | "Kijin Tea" | Best short story | Nomination |
| 2006 | Aurealis Award | Prismatic (with Evan Paliatseas and David Carroll as Edwina Grey) | Best horror novel | Won |
| 2007 | Ditmar Award | Prismatic (with Evan Paliatseas and David Carroll as Edwina Grey) | Best novel | Nomination |
| 2007 | Ditmar Award | "The Bat's Boudoir" | Best short story | Nomination |
| 2012 | Rhysling Award | "The Soldier's Return" | Best long poem | Nomination |
| 2012 | Rhysling Award | "The Kite" | Best short poem | Nomination |
| 2013 | Rhysling Award | "Lucubration"" | Best long poem | Nomination |
| 2018 | Australian Shadows Award | "A Shared Ambition - Horror Writers in Horror Fiction" | Best non-fiction | Nomination |
| 2019 | Bram Stoker Award | "And In Her Eyes The City Drowned" | Best short story | Nomination |
| 2019 | Australian Shadows Award | "Revenants of the Antipodes" | Best poem | Won |
| 2020 | Australian Shadows Award | "The Danse Macabre - an essay" | Rocky Wood Award for non-fiction and criticism | Won |
| 2020 | Rhysling Award | "The Macabre Modern" | Best long poem | Third Place |
| 2021 | Bram Stoker Award | "Should Fire Remember the Fuel?" | Best short story | Nomination |
| 2022 | Australian Shadows Award | "Vampire Poetry" | Rocky Wood Award for non-fiction and criticism | Nomination |
| 2022 | Bram Stoker Award | "A Whisper in the Death Pit" | Best short story | Nomination |
| 2022 | Rhysling Award | "Wardrobe Malfunction" | Best short poem | Nomination |