Fariha Róisín (born 1990) is an Australian-Canadian writer. She released her debut poetry collection ''How to Cure a Ghost'' in 2019 and her debut novel ''Like a Bird'' in 2020. Her first work of non-fiction was written in 2022, ''Who is Wellness For: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who it Leaves Behind.''

Early life

Róisín was raised in a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

family to Bangladeshi immigrant parents in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Her father is a university lecturer and academic, and her mother is an artist. Róisín's maternal grandfather was Abdul Haque, a socialist former member of Parliament in Bangladesh. Róisín moved to the United States at age 19 to study law at university, but dropped out to pursue a writing career.

Career

Róisín has been a freelance writer since 2010 and has written for publications including: IndieWire, HuffPost, Filmmaker,

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

, Bon Appetit and The Hairpin. She began her writing career in 2010 via an internship at the fashion blog ''StyleLikeU'', and then participated in a program at the Critics Academy (run by ''IndieWire'') to learn how to be a film critic. Many of her written pieces are film criticism, cultural criticism and/or first-person personal essays. She also frequently writes about self-care, mental illness, spirituality and socio-political issues. From 2012 to 2017 she co-hosted the pop culture analysis podcast ''Two Brown Girls'' with friend and fellow writer Zeba Blay. Róisín appeared in Jidenna's 2019 music video for the song " Sufi Woman". Róisín debut poetry collection ''How to Cure a Ghost'' was published in 2019 by Abrams Image. She describes the collection as relating to "traumas she's experienced as a queer Muslim woman," and it explores topics including islamophobia, the experience of sexual assault, and white supremacy. The collection was written over five years. Róisín's first novel ''Like A Bird'' was published in 2020 by Unnamed Press.

Personal life

Róisín is

and identifies as queer. She has previously lived in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and currently resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. She is a survivor of child sexual abuse. During adolescence she engaged in self-harm and experienced suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide at age 25.

Works

* 2019. ''How to Cure a Ghost''. Abrams Image. 2019. *2020. ''Like a Bird''. Unnamed Press. 2020. *2022. ''Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind''. HarperWave. 2022. *2023. ''Survival Takes a Wild Imagination.'' 2023.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roisin, Fariha 1990 births Living people 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian poets 21st-century Canadian women writers Writers from Sydney Bengali diaspora in Canada 21st-century Bengali poets Canadian queer women Australian LGBTQ poets Queer Muslims Canadian Muslims Australian Muslims Bengali-language novelists Canadian LGBTQ poets 21st-century Canadian poets Australian women poets Canadian women poets Australian emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Canadian queer writers