Where?

About the Author

Jordan Collins was born in Chicago in the United States, moved to Australia when they were eight, and currently lives in Sydney. Growing up, Jordan wanted to be many things: doctor, vet, artist, marine biologist - but stuck with 'author' because of their love of reading. Jordan is African-American-Greek-Australian, which means they have dark skin and curly hair. Where? began as a slam poem that Jordan wrote after a lifetime of being asked questions like, 'where are you from?' They first performed the poem at the Poet's Picnic when they were fourteen. Where? has now been transformed into Jordan's debut picture book, illustrated by highly acclaimed artist Phil Lesnie.

Phil Lesnie is a Sydney-based illustrator of children's books. They are also a children's bookseller. It remains unclear if this is a conflict of interests. They often work in watercolour, and sometimes on an iPad; occasionally, without thinking, they will tap two fingers on a wet painting to undo it. Their picture book Feathers was short-listed for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards, and their first three books were CBCA Notable Books in 2015, 2016 and 2018. But their first cat, Cassidy, is notable all of the time.