Karen Russell
/
Born: July 10, 1981
“The beginning of the end can feel a lot like the middle when you are living in it.” ― Karen Russell, Swamplandia!
Life
Karen Russell was born in Miami, Florida on July 10th, 1981. She graduated from Coral Gables High School in Miami and received a BA in Spanish from Northwestern. In 2006 she received a MFA from Columbia University.
Russell's short stories have appeared in many publications including The New Yorker, Granata, and The Best American Short Stories. Her first book of short stories, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, was published in 2006 and earned her the "5 under 35" prize from the National Book Foundation. Swamplandia! was Russell's second book and first novel. It was long-listed for the Orange Prize and a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
Also amongst her awards is a MacArthur Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship. Russell is currently serving as the Endowed Chair for Texas State University’s MFA program. She teaches there during the fall and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and son.
Publications