Dr. Rosie Canning studied at University of Southampton. The focus of her research was the representations of orphans and care leavers in fiction. She examined the research through the lens of creative and critical practice which included writing a novel Hiraeth set in the mid 1970s about a young girl leaving care. The autobiographical novel explores her experiences of leaving care as well as considering the positive aspect that reading fiction has had on her life. She has had academic articles and chapters published.