Persona

Robinson, J. Jill

J. Jill Robinson was born and raised in Langley, B.C. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in English literature from the University of Calgary and a M.F.A. from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Robinson began writing seriously in 1987 after attending the Banff School of Fine Arts. A writer of fiction both short and long, and of creative non-fiction, she has published four collections of short stories: "Residual Desire" (Coteau Books, 2003); "Eggplant Wife" (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press Limited, 1995); "Lovely in Her Bones" (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press Limited, 1993); and "Saltwater Tree" (Vancouver: Arsenal Pulp Press Limited, 1991). In addition to her writing, Robinson was the 24th Writer-in-Residence at the Saskatoon Public Library for 2004-2005, the editor of "Grain" magazine from 1995-1999, and has been a teacher of English Literature and Creative Writing since 1985. Among her many awards are two Saskatchewan Book Awards for "Residual Desire" (2003), the Howard O'Hagan Prize for Short Fiction collection, the Alberta Writers Guild for "Lovely In Her Bones" in (1993), the co-winner of "Event"'s non-fiction contest (1991) and the winner of the Prism International Fiction contest (1989). Robinson lives in Saskatoon.