Shani Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. She has lived in Canada since the early 1980s. Her acclaimed first novel, Cereus Blooms at Night, was published in fourteen countries, was a finalist for The Giller Prize, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the Chapters/Books in Canada First Novel Award. She is also an accomplished visual and video artist. Shani Mootoo lives in Edmonton.