de Silva was born in
Hamilton in 1991, living in various places in New Zealand, and now based in
Auckland. de Silva started an English Literature and Law Degree at
Victoria University of Wellington, completing a year before moving to Auckland for study. She graduated with a Bachelor of Performing & Screen Arts at
Unitec Institute of Technology in 2012. In 2021 de Silva completed a Masters of Creative Writing at the
University of Auckland. She has worked on various New Zealand television shows, and on
Shortland Street, as a story liner, scriptwriter and script editor.
Amma was also longlisted for the
Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Plays Podcasts In 2019, de Silva and Chinese New Zealand filmmaker and photographer,
Julie Zhu started the
RNZ podcast,
Conversations with my Immigrant Parents. The podcast video series explores stories of immigrant families across New Zealand, discussing themes such as their connections to home, their ancestry, love, familial expectations, food and racism.
Books de Silva notes the inspiration for her novel
Amma, came from the grief experiences from losing her Grandmother. == Awards ==