Laura Wang Arseneau, Ms New Member

Chinese Canadian literary fiction author

Fiction

Laura Wang Arseneau has a background as an educator and curator as part of the Contemporary Canadian art scene in southern Ontario. Her arts writing included a column, ‘Culture Fix’ for The Globe and Mail. Her short stories have appeared in such literary magazines as Montreal Writes, The Antigonish Review, The Windsor ReView and Fiddlehead. She is an alumni of the Banff Writing Studio and Humber School for Writers, with mentorships through Diaspora Dialogues and BIPOC Writers Connect. Laura lives in the Niagara region of southern Ontario.

Location:: Crystal Beach, ON
Birthdate:: 19 June (66 years old)
Social:: Blog/web
Instagram

Interview with Laura Wang Arseneau, Ms

Where do you prefer to do your creative work?

I have a home office with a view onto my front garden.

Do you read literary journals and magazines regularly? If so, which are your favorites?

In Canada - The Walrus has short stories and poetry, Lit Mags rotate: Event, The New Quarterly, Fiddlehead, Antigonish Review and the Journey Prize Anthology.

Internationally - selective interviews and stories from Paris Review.

Who are your literary (or artistic) heroes?

Andre Alexis, Alistair MacLeod, Dionne Brand, Jack Wang

If you could only take one book on a ten-year voyage, what book would you choose?

Jane Eyre

How much of a typical day (or week) are you able to dedicate to your creative work?

I dedicate 4-5 hrs five mornings a week.

How do you celebrate your successes, such as acceptances? How do you handle rejections and other setbacks?

Acceptances are small milestones to me, and are rare, so a personal gift such as a bouquet of flowers is all I need. Rejections make me send out another submission right away. If rejections arrive one after the other in a short period of time, I have a rant and a cry, threaten to give up and then carry on anyway.

How much time do you spend reading for pleasure or edification?

Every evening, I read for at least an hour.

Do you have a personal creative style? How would you describe it?

Stylistically, I would say literary in that I pay attention to exquisite writing at a line level. Overall, I aim to tell a ripping good story, well told.

Last Updated: 22 Oct 2026