Laisha Rosnau (born 1972) is a Canadian novelist and poet.

Biography

Born in

Pointe-Claire Pointe-Claire (, ) is a Quebec local municipality within the Urban agglomeration of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. As of the 2021 cen ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Rosnau grew up in Vernon,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

.Dan Davidson, "Author Laisha Rosnau didn't see writing as a career". ''

Whitehorse Star The ''Whitehorse Star'' was a newspaper in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. History The newspaper was founded in 1900 about a year after the Klondike Gold Rush ended. The paper was originally called the ''Northern Star'', by was later changed to th ...

'', April 21, 2004. She received a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

in creative writing from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, where she was the executive editor of the literary magazine ''

Prism International ''Prism International'' (styled ''PRISM international'') is a magazine published quarterly in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1959, it is Western Canada's senior literary magazine. The magazine was started with name ''Prism'' ...

''. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in literary journals and anthologies in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rosnau's first novel, ''The Sudden Weight of Snow'' (McClelland and Stewart, 2002), traces a year in the life of a 17-year-old girl living in the interior of British Columbia. Rosnau's first collection of poetry, ''Notes on Leaving'', was published in 2004, and won the 2005 Acorn-Plantos People's Poetry Award. Her second, ''Lousy Explorers'' (Nightwood, 2009), was a finalist for the

Pat Lowther Award The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual Canadian literary award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. The award was established in 1980 to honour poet Pat Lowther, who was murdered by ...

for best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. ''Pluck'' (Nightwood, 2014) takes on issues of sexuality, parenthood, and vulnerability with delicacy and intent, and was nominated for the national Raymond Souster Award. Rosnau's most recent collection of poetry, ''Our Familiar Hunger'', was published in 2018, and was the winner of the 2019

Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize The Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, established in 1986, is awarded annually to the best collection of poetry by a resident of British Columbia, Canada. One of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes, the award was originally known as the B.C. Prize for Poet ...

, and the 2020 Kobzar Literary Award.Jane van Koeverden
"Laisha Rosnau's poetry collection Our Familiar Hunger wins $25K Kobzar Book Award"

CBC Books CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...

, March 13, 2020. Her second novel, ''Little Fortress'', was published by Wolsak & Wynn in fall 2019. As well as full collections of poetry, Rosnau has published two limited edition chapbooks, ''Getaway Girl'' (Greenboathouse Books, 2002) and ''This Glossy Animal'' (Baseline Press, 2013). In 2023, she was the recipient of the Latner Griffin Writers' Trust Poetry Prize.Nicole Thompson
"Kai Thomas wins Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize for debut novel"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', November 21, 2023. Rosnau has taught fiction and poetry classes at UBC,

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouve ...

, and

Okanagan College Okanagan College is publicpost-secondary institution with multiple campuses spread across the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The College was established in 1963 and grown to become one of the largest colleges in British Columbia ou ...

. She was the 2010 Writer in Residence at UBC Okanagan, where she currently teaches in the Creative Studies Department. Rosnau is married to Aaron Deans and they have two children. The family are the resident caretakers of Bishop Wild Bird Sanctuary in

Coldstream Coldstream () is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland. A former burgh, Coldstream was where the Coldstream Guards, a regiment in the British Army, originated. Description Coldstream li ...

, British Columbia.

Bibliography

Poetry

*''Getaway Girl'' (2002) *''Notes on Leaving'' (2004) *''Lousy Explorers'' (2009) *''This Glossy Animal'' (2013) *''Pluck'' (2014) *''Our Familiar Hunger'' (2018)

Novels

*''The Sudden Weight of Snow'' (2002) *''Little Fortress'' (2019)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosnau, Laisha 1972 births 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian women poets Canadian women novelists Living people People from Pointe-Claire People from Vernon, British Columbia People from Coldstream Canadian women short story writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers Canadian people of Ukrainian descent Poets from British Columbia Novelists from British Columbia