Erin McGraw (born 1957) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, known primarily for works of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, both short stories and

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s. Her generous, genial works often depicts familial relations with cold-eyed optimism.

Work

Her first book, the story collection ''Bodies at Sea'' (1989), features a range of characters from a coal miner to college professor who engage in surprising actions. Her next story collection, ''Lies of the Saints'' (1996), which explores themes including marriage and parenthood through quirky stories about endearing misfits, was described by ''The New York Times'' as a "gratifyingly substantial" work featuring "savvy, sardonic women". ''The Good Life'' (2004), which features characters battling daily demons of envy, fear, and disillusionment while somehow maintaining an abiding optimism. Her novels include ''The Baby Tree'' (2002), ''The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard'' (2008), which draws on her own family history to describe the price one woman pays for independence, and ''Better Food for a Better World'' (2013), the story of six idealistic college friends who band together to open the Natural High Ice Cream parlor only to find life intruding on their dreams, until … . Her short work has appeared in ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''Good Housekeeping'', ''The Southern Review'', and ''The Kenyon Review''.

Awards

A former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University (1988–90), she has received fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and the corporations of MacDowell and Yaddo.

Personal life

Born and raised in Redondo Beach, California, McGraw received her MFA at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and has lived in the Midwest ever since. Now an emeritus member of the faculty, McGraw taught in the MFA in Creative Writing program at the

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

alongside her husband, the poet

Andrew Hudgins Andrew Hudgins (born 22 April 1951 Killeen, Texas) is an American poet. Biography Hudgins was raised in Alabama. He earned a B.A. at Huntingdon College, an M.A. at the University of Alabama, and an M.F.A. at the University of Iowa. He is the auth ...

, until her retirement.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''The Baby Tree'' (2002) * ''The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard'' (2008) * ''Better Food for a Better World'' (2013)

Collections

* ''Bodies at Sea'' (1989) * ''Lies of the Saints'' (1996) * ''The Good Life'' (2004)

Short fiction and essays

References

External links

Author website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgraw, Erin 1957 births Living people 21st-century American novelists American women novelists 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers American women short story writers People from Redondo Beach, California Novelists from California Indiana University alumni Ohio State University faculty Stanford University fellows American women academics