News
Winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize
My forthcoming book, Those Who Vanish, was selected by Quan Barry as the winner of the 2026 Drue Heinz Literature Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for a collection of short fiction. It will be published in September 2026 by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
Finalist for the 2023 PEN Bellwether Prize
The manuscript of my debut novel was a Finalist for the 2023 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. It is a career-founding prize, which promotes fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships. Established by Barbara Kingsolver in 2000, it is awarded biennially to the author of a previously unpublished novel of high literary caliber.
A new book is coming soon! My story collection, Those Who Vanish, won the 2026 Drue Heinz Literary Prize and will be published in September 2026. I’m brimming with gratitude to this year’s judge, Quan Barry, and to the University of Pittsburgh Press.
Many thanks to the editors of Arts & Letters for nominating “Pax Americana” for 2025’s Best American Short Stories.
My story, “Pax Americana,” was chosen by judge Francesca Ekwuyasi as the winner of the 2023 Arts & Letters Prize for Fiction.
As a Tennessee Williams Scholar, I gratefully joined a writing community IRL again at the 2023 Sewanee Writers’ Conference.
The manuscript of my debut novel (title TBD) was a Finalist for the 2023 PEN Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.
The manuscript of my debut novel (title TBD) was longlisted for the 2023 McKitterick Prize.
I won a 2022-2023 Eccles Centre Visiting Fellowship at the British Library to support development of a new novel, set in wartime Guatemala.
My story, “Survivors,” won Honorable Mention for the 2022 Robert and Adele Schiff Award at The Cincinnati Review.
A story from my collection in progress won the 2021 Northern Writers Award.
My novella, “Day of All Saints,” won the 2017 Miami University Novella Prize.
“Day of All Saints” was a finalist for the 2017 Balcones Fiction Prize.
A review of “Day of All Saints” appeared in the debut issue of Wolfson Review.
“Day of All Saints” was reviewed by Gretchen Comba in The Florida Review. It was also reviewed by Rachel C. Reeher in Heavy Feather Review.
I was awarded a Fiction Fellowship from the Vermont Studio Center in 2015.
I was the 2013-2014 Carol Houck Smith Fellow in Fiction at the University of Wisconsin.
My chapbook, “Rubia,” won the 2012 Jean Leiby Chapbook Award.
My chapbook, “The Death of Carrie Bradshaw,” won the 2011 Kore Press Short Fiction Prize and was nominated by Kore Press for a Pushcart Prize.
Interviews About My Work
Profile in the book, 200 Women (Who Will Change the Way You See the World)
Interview with Yasmine Shamma at Research in English at Durham
Interview with Kelcey Parker Ervick at PhD in Creative Writing
Interview with William Woolfitt at Speaking of Marvels