Rose Lu
LU, Rose (1990- ), was born in Chongming, an island near Shanghai. When Lu was five years old, her parents moved to New Zealand, not knowing anyone or being able to speak any English. They eventually settled in Whanganui and started operating a dairy. In 2008 she moved to Christchurch.
Lu studied mechatronics engineering at the University of Canterbury, completing her undergraduate degree in 2011. In 2014, she moved again to Wellington where she now more or less permanently resides. In 2018, she gained her Masters of Arts in Creative Writing from Victoria University of Wellington.
Since 2012, Lu has worked in the software industry. She currently works remotely for Buildkite, and is calibrating her work/writing balance.
All Who Live On Islands (2019) consists of nine essays that tell different stories of Lu’s upbringing. In this book, she explores and gives insight into wider issues in New Zealand, for example, racism and the abuse immigrants face. Steve Walker has described her intentions thus: “Lu’s purpose is not to blame her new hosts. It is simply to explore, probe, and subtly shift our perceptions … without stating it, Lu gently illuminates our own sad insufficiency in cultural knowledge”.
The book has received acclaimed attention. Parts of it have been published in Sport, The Pantograph Punch, Starling, and Turbine Kapohau. She has made appearances at Auckland Writers Festival, Verb Wellington Festival, Emerging Writers Festival and other festivals and events.
Lu continues to work in the software industry and eventually plans to write and publish another book. She revealed that it will be a work of fiction set in the technology industry.
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