Evelyn Lau is an award-winning Canadian poet, novelist, short story writer, and memoirist based in Vancouver. She is the author of more than a dozen books, including the groundbreaking memoir Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid, published when she was just eighteen, which has become a landmark work in Canadian literature. Lau’s writing is known for its emotional precision, lyrical intensity, and unflinching honesty. Her poetry and prose explore themes of identity, survival, intimacy, urban life, and transformation, often drawing from lived experience with remarkable clarity and grace. Her work has been widely taught, translated, and recognized with numerous honours, including the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Award. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver, where she championed poetry as a vital public art and mentored emerging writers.
LiterASIAN 2026 