Fariha Róisín (born 1990) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

-Canadian writer. She released her debut poetry collection ''How to Cure a Ghost'' in 2019 and her debut novel ''Like a Bird'' in 2020. Her first work of non-fiction was written in 2022, ''Who is Wellness For: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who it Leaves Behind.''

Early life

Róisín was raised in a Muslim family to

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

immigrant parents in Sydney, Australia. Her father is a university lecturer and academic, and her mother is an artist. Róisín's maternal grandfather was Abdul Haque, a socialist former member of Parliament in Bangladesh. Róisín moved to the United States at age 19 to study law at university, but dropped out to pursue a writing career.

Career

Róisín has been a freelance writer since 2010 and has written for publications including:

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...

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Filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

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Bon Appetit ''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...

and

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. She began her writing career in 2010 via an internship at the fashion blog ''StyleLikeU'', and then participated in a program at the Critics Academy (run by ''IndieWire'') to learn how to be a film critic. Many of her written pieces are film criticism, cultural criticism and/or first-person personal essays. She also frequently writes about

self-care Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and to actively management of illness when it occurs. Individuals engage in some form of self-care daily with food ...

, mental illness, spirituality and socio-political issues. From 2012 to 2017 she co-hosted the pop culture analysis podcast ''Two Brown Girls'' with friend and fellow writer

Zeba Blay Zeba Blay is a Ghanaian-American writer and culture critic and former senior culture writer for ''The Huffington Post''. She coined the hashtag #Carefree BlackGirl in 2013 and published her accompanying debut ''Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration ...

. Róisín appeared in

Jidenna Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper and singer. In 2015, Jidenna released two singles, "Classic Man" (featuring Roman GianArthur and Kendrick Lamar) and " Yoga" (with Janelle Monáe ...

's 2019 music video for the song " Sufi Woman". Her debut poetry collection ''How to Cure a Ghost'' was published in 2019 by

Abrams Image Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...

. She describes the poetry collection as relating to "traumas she's experienced as a queer Muslim woman", and the collection explores topics including

islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

, the experience of sexual assault, and white supremacy. The collection was written over five years. Róisín's first novel ''Like A Bird'' was published in 2020 by

Unnamed Press Unnamed Press is an independent publisher based in Los Angeles, California. Unnamed Press publishes literary fiction and non-fiction, with an emphasis on debuts by women, underrepresented voices and people of color, as well as internationally foc ...

Personal life

Róisín is Muslim and identifies as queer. She has previously lived in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and

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, and currently resides in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. She is a survivor of child sexual abuse. During adolescence she engaged in self-harm and experienced suicidal ideation, and attempted suicide at age 25.

Works

* 2019. ''How to Cure a Ghost''.

. 2019. *2020. ''Like a Bird''.

. 2020. *2022. ''Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind''. HarperWave. 2022. *2023. ''Survival Takes a Wild Imagination.'' 2023.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Róisín, Fariha 1990 births Living people 21st-century Australian women writers 21st-century Australian poets 21st-century Canadian women writers Writers from Sydney Bengali diaspora in Canada 21st-century Bengali poets Queer women Australian LGBT poets Queer Muslims Canadian Muslims Australian Muslims Bengali novelists Canadian LGBT poets 21st-century Canadian poets Australian women poets Canadian women poets Australian emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian LGBT people