Evelyn Lau

About

Chinese-Canadian poet, author, and 2011 Poet Laureate of the city of Vancouver. Her award-winning poetry collections include You are Not Who You Claim, Oedipal Dreams, and Living Under Plastic.

Before Fame

She ran away from home at age fourteen and suffered through a period of homelessness, drug addiction, and prostitution.

Trivia

Her destructive relationship with her parents was rooted in their demand that she study medicine rather than pursue a literary career.

Family Life

She had a relationship with W.P. Kinsella, a writing professor, and was charged with libel after she published an essay detailing the affair.

Associated With

Her 1989 memoir, Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid, was made into a 1993 film starring Sandra Oh.