09/17/2026
The Department of English at the University of Ottawa is proud to welcome our local, bestselling Canadian author of six books across fiction and poetry, , as our 2026/27 Writer-in-residence.
Tonight at 7PM, Emily will give a reading at the department Awards Night, to kick off her tenure with us. For the rest of the Fall term, Emily will teach “Writing the Novel,” a capstone undergraduate fiction workshop, and host office hours every Tuesday & Thursday evening.
Drop by 324 Hamelin today to talk to Emily about writing/reading poetry & fiction, submitting and getting published, getting an agent, working with editors & publishers, developing a writing practice, and other writing matters.
Bio: Emily Austin (she/her) is a bestselling q***r Canadian author of six books across fiction and poetry, including the instant bestsellers, Is This a Cry for Help? (2026) and We Could Be Rats (2025). Her next novel, Garbage Girl, is forthcoming in 2028. Previous books include Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead (2021), Interesting Facts About Space (2024), and the poetry collection, Gay Girl Prayers (2024), all of which have garnered her various accolades. Her writing centres le***an and q***r characters and explores themes of mental health and neurodivergence. She was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, and has a background in libraries and information architecture.
