
Robyn Sarah was born in New York City to Canadian parents and has lived for most of her life in Montreal. Following studies in music at the Conservatoire du Quebec, and philosophy and English at McGill University, she taught English for 20 years at Champlain College in St. Lambert, Quebec. Founder (with Fred Louder) of Villeneuve Publications, a Montreal small press that operated from 1976 to 1987, she co-edited its poetry chapbook series and a few issues each of two literary magazines. Her poems, stories, and essays have appeared widely in Canada and the United States. Author of several poetry collections, two collections of short stories, a book of essays on poetry, and a memoir about music in her life, she served as poetry editor for Cormorant Books from 2010 to 2020. Her 2015 collection of poems, My Shoes Are Killing Me, won the Governor General's Award for poetry.