Evelyn Lau is a Canadian poet and novelist. She was born in Vancouver on July 2, 1971 to Chinese-Canadian parents. Her parents had high expectations of her, hoping she would become a doctor. Her family life was unhappy, however, as was her school life. At age 18 she left home and began living on the streets of Vancouver as a prostitute and drug addict. Always wanting to be a writer she kept a diary which was published as Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid in 1989. The graphic book was a critical and commercial success. Her subsequent volumes of poetry and her first novel confirmed her as one of Canada's great young literary talents. She had a well publicized romance with the older writer W. P. Kinsella, a relationship that ended up with him suing her for libel. She currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Works:
- Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid - 1989
- You Are Not Who You Claim - 1990
- Oedipal Dreams - 1992 (nominated for a Governor General's Award)
- Fresh Girls and Other Stories - 1993
- In the House of Slaves - 1994
- Other Women - 1995
- Choose Me - 1999
- Inside Out: Reflection on a Life So Far - 2001
