Lisa Morrow

Lisa Morrow was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up in a leafy middle class North Shore suburb. After finishing high school she went to Sydney University but failed to find her niche. She dropped out and in the following years worked in numerous jobs, including as a public servant, cleaner, sales assistant, waitress, bar maid and car counter, before going overseas. Once there she hitchhiked through the UK, travelled in Europe and arrived in Turkey just as the Gulf War was starting. Her three month stay in the small central Anatolian village of Göreme changed her life. She spent the following years moving between Australia and Turkey, but made time to go back to university and graduate with a BA Honours Degree in Sociology from Macquarie University. An academic career beckoned but the call to travel was louder. After several false starts she moved to Göztepe on the Asian side of Istanbul.

Lisa has released a collection of essays called "Exploring Turkish Landscapes: Crossing Inner Boundaries" and a travel narrative called "Waiting for the Tulips to Bloom: Adrift in Istanbul". In addition she writes for various international and Australian magazines and websites and her regular blog www.insideoutinistanbul.com, and has a monthly spot on San Francisco Turkish Radio.