Roshni Riar, a Master of Fine Arts student in UBC’s School of Creative Writing, is developing a six-part poetry manuscript that explores inherited Panjabi histories, intergenerational trauma and cultural knowledge through the body. Her work is supported by the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships Master’s (CGRS M) Program, and it is rooted in her studies in Vancouver and her research supervision under Bronwen Tate.
Key facts
- Riar is enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program in UBC’s Faculty of Arts.
- Her research topic is “Exploring inherited Panjabi histories through poetic imaginations.”
- Her project will take the form of a six-part poetry manuscript.
- She received support through the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships Master’s (CGRS M) Program.
- Her research supervisor is Bronwen Tate.
What this means for graduate students at UBC
Riar’s profile shows how UBC graduate study can combine creative practice, research and funding support. For students in arts-based programs, the example is especially relevant because her MFA project is being shaped through coursework, workshop feedback and a funded research period rather than through a traditional thesis model alone.
Her experience also points to a practical question many applicants face: how to match a program with a long-term project. In Riar’s case, the MFA offers a structure for developing a second book as her thesis, while the scholarship support helps make the degree more feasible. Her path may be most useful to applicants who want a graduate program that connects writing, supervision and sustained creative production.
She also describes the value of UBC’s creative writing environment, including workshop critique from classmates and established writers. For prospective students, that suggests the program is built not only around independent research but also around regular editorial and academic feedback.
What is Roshni Riar studying?
Riar is exploring how inherited histories can live in the body through poetry. She says her manuscript will examine questions tied to Panjab, including the Partition, the Sikh Genocide and British colonialism, and will connect those historical moments with her own life and family line.
The project is planned as six sections, each linked to a sense, with a final section that she describes as the “sense of ancestry.” That structure is intended to help her weave personal memory, somatic experience and historical research into a single body of work.
How does the scholarship fit into her graduate study?
The profile says Riar is receiving the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships Master’s (CGRS M) Program support alongside financial support from UBC and the SSHRC fund. That backing appears to be part of what allows her to pursue the MFA while continuing work on her thesis manuscript.
She also says she chose UBC in part because she had already completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts there and felt connected to the campus, the people and the program structure. Staying in Vancouver was another factor in her decision to continue at the university for graduate study.
Why did she choose this path?
Riar says she wanted to “give [her] curiosity permission to indulge itself,” and that finding the right program was essential to giving her goals a roadmap and accountability. She says the MFA environment gives her a structure she finds motivating, especially for the writing and revision required to complete her second book.
Before graduate school, she worked as a freelance writer and in arts non-profit production and communications. She says that background prepared her for the pace and deadlines of graduate study.
Frequently asked questions
What is Roshni Riar’s research topic?
Her research topic is “Exploring inherited Panjabi histories through poetic imaginations.” It centers on a six-part poetry manuscript that examines how history, trauma and cultural knowledge can be carried in the body.
What award is Roshni Riar receiving?
She is listed as a recipient of the Canada Graduate Research Scholarships Master’s (CGRS M) Program.
