Rose Lu facts for kids

Rose Lu was born in 1990. She is a writer and a software developer from New Zealand. Rose writes about her life experiences. Her book, All Who Live on Islands, shares what it was like growing up Chinese in New Zealand. People have praised her book for showing New Zealand life through the eyes of an Asian immigrant. In 2018, Rose won the Creative Nonfiction Prize. This award was from the International Institute of Modern Letters. She studied mechatronics engineering at the University of Canterbury. Later, she earned a master's degree in creative writing from Victoria University of Wellington.

Rose Lu's Life Story

Rose Lu was born in Chongming District, Shanghai, China. When she was five years old, in 1995, she moved to New Zealand. She came with her parents and grandparents. Her family settled in Whanganui. There, her parents owned a dairy and takeaway shop.

Rose finished her engineering degree in 2011. This was at the University of Canterbury. Since 2012, she has worked as a software developer. She also studied creative writing. She got her master's degree in 2018. Rose said her engineering background helped her writing. It made her writing clear and precise. She started her tech career writing software for wheelchairs. As of 2021, she works as a web developer. She is also a successful author. Rose lives in Wellington.

About Her Book: All Who Live on Islands

Rose Lu's book, All Who Live on Islands, came out in 2019. It is a collection of personal stories. These stories are from the viewpoint of a Chinese person living in New Zealand. The book talks about topics like racism, culture, and family. She wrote it to show what it was like growing up "caught between worlds." Her experiences happened in places like China, Whanganui, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Auckland, and Wellington.

Her book is special because few Chinese New Zealand authors have been published there. Rose is part of a new group of Asian New Zealand writers and artists. Other writers include Helene Wong and Emma Ng. Parts of Rose's book have appeared in different journals. These include Sport, Starling, and The Pantograph Punch.

Awards and Recognition

In December 2021, Rose Lu received exciting news. She was chosen for the 2022 Randell Cottage Writers' Residency. She planned to use her six months there to work on her first novel. The cottage is in Thorndon. In 2024, she also won an emerging writer's residency. This was at the Michael King Writers Centre.

Rose has been a guest at many literary events. These include the Auckland Writers Festival. She has also attended the Verb Wellington Festival. Rose has mentioned some authors who inspire her. These include Esme Weijun Wang and Carmen Maria Machado.

Awards Rose Lu Has Won

• 2018: Creative Nonfiction Prize from the International Institute of Modern Letters.
• 2022: Randell Cottage Writer in Residence.
• 2024: Michael King Writers Centre emerging writer's residency.