ABOUT EMILY 

Emily Austin (she/her) is a best selling Canadian writer. Her fourth novel, "Is This a Cry for Help?", was published by Atria Books and Simon and Schuster Canada in January 2026, and it was an instant best seller. 

Her debut novel, "Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead" (2021), was long listed for The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award, and a finalist for the Ottawa Book Awards. Her second novel, "Interesting Facts About Space" (2023), was nominated for the 2025 Forest of Reading Evergreen Award, and was long listed for The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. It was also the #1 bestselling LGBTQIA+ book in Canada and the most circulated LGBTQIA+ book in Canadian libraries in 2024. Her third novel, "We Could Be Rats" was Published in 2025, and it was an instant national best seller.

 

Her poetry debut, "Gay Girl Prayers", was published by Brick Books in 2024. It was a CBC Best Book of Poetry in 2024, and a finalist for the 2025 Archibald Lampman Award.

Her writing often centres lesbian characters and explores themes of mental health, religious trauma, and neurodivergence.

She was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. She earned her B.A. in English Literature and Religious Studies at King's University College, and her master's in Library and Information Science at Western University. She has a background in libraries, teaching, and working as an information architect. She currently resides in Ottawa in the territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. 

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She is represented by Heather Carr at The Friedrich Agency. 
 

Connect with Emily on Social Media: 

Instagram/Threads: @EmilyRAustinAuthor, TikTok: @EmilyAustinAuthor, BlueSky: @EmilyRAustin.bsky.social, & FaceBook: EmilyAustinAuthor

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