Andrea Sherwood was born of a Ukrainian father, who emigrated from Germany, and an Anglo-Celtic mother. She spent her childhood in the Upper Yarra Valley. Sherwood has a B.A. degree and a Diploma of Education from Melbourne and La Trobe Universities respectively. With some knowledge of German, she has worked as an 'emergency' teacher in Victoria, teaching English as a second language. Sherwood has been a member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) and of the Victorian Writer's Centre. In 1991 she was awarded a grant from the Victorian Ministry of the Arts. Sherwood has acknowledged the encouragement of Phillip Mead (q.v.) who edited her first published volume of poetry. Sherwood provided editorial support for the annual, Australian Short Stories.
(Blurb, One Siren or Another (1994)).
