Photo by J Josue Photography

I'm Lisa

I’m a writer, a sustainability policy nerd, a former aerospace engineer, and a few other things.

A bit of my history, including a detour into space... It was a shock to most people when, at 18, I told them what I was going away to Carleton University to study. They expected journalism. The correct answer was aerospace engineering. I loved writing but I was also fascinated by physics. So, I went off to Ottawa, got that degree, and then went to work on space stuff. After a few years of working on NASA contracts (and writing on weekends), I headed to Vancouver, British Columbia, which was supposed to be just a temporary stopping point for more school. I got a graduate degree in something more earth-bound (urban planning) and settled into work and writing again. I’m originally from Nova Scotia (unceded territory of the Mi'kmaw people), and random strangers on the street have, unprompted, told me I have an east coast accent. I still live in Vancouver (unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh Nations) with my partner of 20+ years and however many cats we can manage. We are fond of dancing at the palace in Vienna when we get the chance and camping on mountains. Random fun facts: I was a champion varsity foil fencer during my undergrad, I make my own soap, and if I didn't live in a tiny apartment I would definitely own a floor loom. I may still get a floor loom. (Update, I got a floor loom.)

Artist Statement & CV

My writing is a collection of inquiries into understanding life and the world around us in the context of climate change. My work strives to answer the questions: how can we tell climate stories that need to be heard in ways that make people want to read them? And, can these stories inspire climate action in real life? I've been generously supported in my writing by the Canada Council for the Arts, Bread Loaf Environmental Writers' Conference, Monson Arts Residency, Banff Centre for the Creative Arts residency.

Bio

Name Pronunciation guide: Brideau: 'BREE-doe'

Short Bio

Lisa Brideau (she/her) is an award-winning author originally from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She holds degrees in aerospace engineering and urban design and currently works as a municipal climate policy specialist in Vancouver, BC. Adrift is her debut novel.

Medium-length, Serious Bio

LISA BRIDEAU is an award-winning author born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada in the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw People. She has a Bachelor degree in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of British Columbia. She currently works as a sustainability specialist focused on climate policy and climate justice and additionally explores possible pathways for societal change due to climate change in her fiction. She lives in Vancouver, BC (the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples). ADRIFT is Lisa's debut novel. Her writing has been generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Bread Loaf, Monson Arts, and Banff Centre for the Creative Arts.

Medium-length, Mostly Serious Bio

LISA BRIDEAU was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada in the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaw People. Her writing is inspired by the ridiculous quantities of science fiction she read during her formative years with a crust of CanLit layered on top.

She has a Bachelor degree in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University and a Master of Science in Urban Planning from the University of British Columbia and currently works as a sustainability specialist. When she takes breaks from trying to mitigate catastrophic climate change, she likes to write speculative fiction or practice her waltz. She lives in Vancouver, BC (the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples) with her husband and their herd of cats. She is most likely cuddling a cat right now.

ADRIFT is Lisa's debut novel and is the winner of the 2024 Evergreen Award. Her writing has been generously supported by Canada Council for the Arts, Bread Loaf, Monson Arts, and Banff Centre for the Creative Arts.