Adiela Akoo was born on the 4th of May in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, though mostly raised and educated in the neighbouring city of Durban, where she also received the prestigious Dux Award. Apart from writing, she has a background in banking and comprehensive healing and in her spare time loves creating art and crafts using mixed media, watching movies, playing scrabble and chess, creating in the kitchen, or chatting to the birds out in the garden, among other things. She has often been adopted by stray cats.

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She was nominated as one of the Top 7 ‘Most Promising Literary Influencers’ in the GBCAwards 2020 and received the Silver Star Award from the Global Literary Society for her 'excellent contribution to world literature', among others. She was included in the Best Emerging Poets of 2019 series, the Best New African Poets of 2020, 2022 and 2023 series, has won poetry contests, and been published in a variety of journals and anthologies across the world. Her poems have been translated into different languages.

Adiela has represented the Durban UNESCO City of Literature in collaborations with other cities of literature on various occasions. She has also participated in poetry readings at literary festivals like The Madibaland World Literary Festival, The Alan Paton Literary Festival, etc. She has also served as a judge at the Zee TV Miss India South Africa International Pageant.

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‘Lost in a Quatrain’, her deep, soulful, debut collection, was written over a period of 18 years and is a thought-provoking read on a journey to becoming, a journey of hope and healing. The poem “Whiplash” from the book was quoted in The House of Parliament and ‘Pre Natal’ was nominated “Poem of the Day’ on the massive poetry platform, PoemHunter. 'Within' received a Certificate of Excellence from the Everychild Lifeline Foundation International Literary Awards & Demo Gog. Her book was also the first runner-up for poetry in the SAIP Awards 2021. Her second collection and other titles are forthcoming with Quilled Ink Press, an independent publishing house. 

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As an ambassador of literacy, she volunteered her time in the position of Vice-Chair of Litasa, KZN – The Literacy Association of South Africa. Adiela is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the new literary journal, The Quilled Ink Review. 

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Adiela is married, to a medical doctor, and they have three children, a son and two daughters.

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