Emily Austin is a Canadian writer based in Ottawa, Ontario, whose debut novel Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead was a shortlisted finalist for the 2022 Amazon.ca First Novel Award.
Biography
Early life Born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, she studied English literature, religious studies and library and information science at the University of Western Ontario."Emily Austin Uses Her Trademark Sass to Rewrite Bible Verses for the LGBTQIA+ Community". Open Book, February 28, 2024.
Career Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, her debut novel, was published in 2021.Mel Woods, "Death is around every corner in this queer author’s grimly funny debut novel". Xtra Magazine, July 7, 2021. In addition to the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the book was also longlisted for the 2022 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour,Cassandra Drudi, "Longlist announced for 2022 Stephen Leacock medal". Quill & Quire, June 1, 2022. and shortlisted for the 2022 Ottawa Book Award for English fiction.Megan Gillis, "Finalists revealed for Ottawa Book Awards". Ottawa Citizen, September 20, 2022.
In 2024, she published her second novel, Interesting Facts About Space,"Emily Austin's latest novel Interesting Facts About Space explores reckoning with fear and letting people in". The Next Chapter, April 19, 2024. and the poetry collection Gay Girl Prayers."Why Emily Austin rewrote parts of the Bible through a queer and feminist lens". Q, March 1, 2024. She released her third novel, We Could be Rats, in January 2025. Her fourth novel, Is This A Cry For Help?, released on January 13, 2026.
Personal life She identifies as queer.
Bibliography
Novels
2017 : Oh Honey 2021 : Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982167363. 2024 : Interesting Facts About Space 2025 : We Could Be Rats 2026 : Is This a Cry for Help?
Poetry
2024 : Gay Girl Prayers
Short Fiction
2025 : "Grand Beaver Cabin" published in the anthology Be Gay, Do Crime
References