Laisha Rosnau

Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Rosnau grew up in Vernon, British Columbia. Rosnau received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where she was the Executive Editor of PRISM international. 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, and has been praised for its power and grace. It was an honourable mention for the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award.

Rosnau's first collection of poetry, "Notes on Leaving" (Nightwood, 2004) won the 2005 Acorn-Plantos People's Poetry Award. Her second, "Lousy Explorers" (Nightwood, 2009) was a finalist for the Pat Lowther Award for best book of poetry by a Canadian Women. "Pluck" (Nightwood, 2014) takes on issues of sexuality, parenthood, and vulnerability with delicacy and intent, and was nominated for the national Raymond Souster poetry award.

Rosnau's most recent collection of poetry, "Our Familiar Hunger" (Nightwood), "explores sexuality and inequality against the backdrops of historical and contemporary conflict zones, global waves of immigration and expressions of greed and hunger". It has been nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Award.

Her second novel, Little Fortress, will be 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)

Rosnau has taught fiction and poetry classes at UBC, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Film School, and Okanagan College. 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, BC.

• Laisha Rosnau at Greenboathouse Books
• Laisha Rosnau at McClelland & Stewart
• Laisha Rosnau at Anne McDermid & Associates literary agency