AustLit

Noted internationally for her critiques of reproductive technology and genetic engineering, Robyn Rowland 'has been consulted by governments and agencies around the world for her work' in this field. She has been Professor of Social Inquiry at Deakin University, 'addressed the House of Lords, London, on embryo experimentation', and in 1996 was 'made an Officer in the Order of Australia for her contribution to higher education and women's health'. Her work in this area includes the publications, Living Laboratories: Women and Reproductive Technologies (1992) and Woman Herself: A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Women's Identity (1988).

In addition to her substantial academic career, Rowland has written poetry that has been widely published both in Australia and overseas, including Ireland, Japan, Canada, the United States and New Zealand. Described as a 'fluent, eloquent poet', Rowland has drawn inspiration from her heritage as a third generation Irish Australian. During a span of twenty years, she spent time living and working in Ireland and the resonance of these experiences has been reflected in her writing.

She won the Catalpa Poetry Prize and Overall Writer Prize for her poetry from the Australian-Irish Heritage Association in 2002.

(Sources: Fiery Waters, 2001; Silence and Its Tongues, 2006; Shadows at the Gate, 2004)