YA author steph bowe remembered as a “beautiful human”

Vale, Steph Bowe

The Lip team is saddened to learn of the recent death of Australian YA author, Steph Bowe, from complications related to T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, which she was diagnosed with in April 2019. She was 25.

Steph published her first novel, Boy Meets Girl, at just sixteen years old and went on to publish two more novels, All This Could End and Night Swimming, in the years that followed.

Tributes have been flowing on social media following her death.

She was described by her publisher Text Publishing as “compassionate” and “wise” and “a truly good person”.

#LoveOzYA wrote that “Steph’s talent was surpassed only by the size of her heart and her unwavering compassion for her fellow humans” and “she was an endless booster of her fellow authors, a thoughtful and loving campaigner for diversity in our literature”.

Fellow YA writer and friend, Gabrielle Tozer, said she was “heartbroken” upon learning of her death and was “grateful for the times [they] shared”.

“What a beautiful human, what a talent”, she wrote.

In 2010, just ahead of the release of her first book, we featured an interview with Steph on our site.

When asked at the time if she had any advice for aspiring writers, she said: “To use that really, really overused saying: You have to be in it to win it! Seriously, send your work out there. You have nothing to lose. You can achieve your ‘writerly’ dreams if you persevere.”

We extend our sincerest condolences to Steph’s friends, family and colleagues, and all who knew and loved her.