Rosalind Brackenbury

Writer • Poet • Teacher • Explorer of Place and Story

Rosalind Brackenbury has spent a lifetime tracing the threads between place, memory, and the human heart. Born in London and educated at Girton College, Cambridge, where she studied History, she has long been drawn to the stories that shape who we are — the layered narratives of family, culture, and geography that later became central to her writing. Her first novel, A Day to Remember to Forget, was accepted by Macmillan when she was just twenty‑seven — the beginning of a literary journey that has spanned decades, continents, and genres.

For more than thirty years, Rosalind has made her home in Key West, Florida, where she lives with her husband, Allen Meece. The island, with its shifting light and vivid sense of place, has shaped much of her recent work and remains one of the creative centers of her life. In recognition of her literary contributions, Rosalind was honored as Key West’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017.

Her writing often moves between France, England, and the Florida Keys, exploring themes of love, belonging, and the fragile bonds that connect us. She is the author of multiple novels, including Becoming George Sand and The Love Letters of Henri Fournier, both set in France and praised for their lyrical prose and historical depth; Without Her (Delphinium Books, 2019), described by Kirkus Reviews as “a steady, cool, thoughtful novel…a meditation on loyalty, friendship, and the geometry of human interconnections”; and Bone Whispers (Coffee House Press, 2024), a haunting exploration of intimacy and transformation. Her forthcoming novel, Indigo Sky at Noon (Regal House Press, 2027), set in the Lubéron region of Provence, continues her fascination with the ways in which place shapes inner life.

Rosalind’s work also spans poetry, short fiction, and literary biography. She is the author of several poetry collections, including Invisible Horses (Hanging Loose Press, 2019), as well as award‑winning short stories and a novella, Elena, Leo, Rose (Open Boat Editions 2022) that explore the landscapes of love and longing. Her short story collection Light Over Islands (Open Boat Editions, 2024) returns to the lush imagery of Key West, where she has made her home for three decades. In addition, her novel Seas Outside the Reef — originally published in the 1990s and also set in Key West — has been newly republished by Open Boat Editions. Her historical novel The Third Swimmer won the Silver Indie Award in 2015, and her exploration of Virginia Woolf’s early years, Miss Stephen’s Apprenticeship (University of Iowa Press), has been widely celebrated for its sensitivity and insight.

Teaching and community have always been central to Rosalind’s work. A two‑time Creative Writing Fellow at the College of William and Mary (2007, 2012), she has led poetry and prose workshops across the UK, US, Spain, and Australia. In Key West, she teaches creativity courses based on Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way at The Studios of Key West, alongside generative workshops in fiction and poetry. Her teaching philosophy is simple and generous: every student carries their own creative voice; the work lies in helping them discover it.

In May 2026, Rosalind will serve as one of the guides for Coming to Our Senses, a week‑long retreat in Arles, France, designed to explore creativity, deep listening, and mindful reconnection. Through her guided writing sessions, shared conversations, and invitations to see the world with fresh eyes, participants will be encouraged to step into their own stories with curiosity and courage.

When she isn’t writing or teaching, Rosalind divides her time between Key West, England, Paris, and the landscapes that continue to inspire her — Provence, the Lubéron, and the wild edges of the sea in Dorset. Her life, like her writing, is rooted in movement, in finding the sacred in the ordinary, and in bringing to light the stories that connect us all.