Triin Paja is an Estonian poet, author of four collections of poetry in Estonian and a recipient of the Värske Rõhk Poetry Award, the Betti Alver Literary Award, the Juhan Liiv Prize for Poetry, and the Looming Poetry Award. Her poems has been translated into over a dozen languages and she is a member of the Estonian Writers’ Union.
“Recurrent topics in her writing include nature (including environmental protection), love, death, grief, the feminine experience, memories, and ancient myths and roots. Incantation-like poems conjure darkly delicate images that offer brightness and hope alongside intermittent gloom. Paja’s free-verse texts are intense and suggestive, interchanging with poetic prose filled with interruptions, unexpected turns, and thrilling language. Each of her collections forms a unique, enchanting whole.” – Estonian Literature Centre
Her English poetry has appeared in over sixty journals, among them Poetry Magazine, Ploughshares, Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Colorado Review, and The Cincinnati Review. Her English poetry has also received two Pushcart Prizes and her first chapbook, Sleeping in a Field (2025), won the Wolfson Poetry Chapbook Prize. Her second chapbook, Rivers, rivers, rivers (2026), won the Sarabande Spring Chapbook Prize.
She lives in Saaremaa with her husband and their several delightful animals.
