Peng Shepherd is an American author. Her first novel, ''The Book of M'', was released in 2018, followed by ''The Future Library'' in 2021 and ''The Cartographers'' in 2022. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow.

Early life and education

Peng Shepherd was born and raised in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, a daughter of Lin Sue Cooney, a retired Channel 12 anchor. Peng earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature from Arizona State University in 2006. Peng then completed an M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy, and Chinese Language at the SOAS University of London in 2008. From New York University, she received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing in 2014, where she was a Stein Fellow and a Veterans Fellow, in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Literary career

Her debut novel ''The Book of M'', a dystopian fantasy, was published by Harper Collins in 2018, and received mainly favorable reviews. Per

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

, ''The Book of M'' was optioned for screen adaptation on television by Liz Sarnoff from

Universal Content Productions Universal Content Productions (UCP) is an American television production company operating within the Universal Studio Group division of NBCUniversal. History Universal Cable Productions In July 2008, Universal Cable Productions was split off ...

. Her other works have been noted and reviewed by various publications and literary critics, including

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

, Kirkus Reviews,

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding B ...

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

, and

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

, among others. Vivian Shaw, the editor from the Washington Post, wrote about ''The Cartographers'' in her book review: ''"Shepherd, also the author of “The Book of M”, nails the sense of deep-seated, profound connection and love between a small group of people drawn together by shared experience and interest, creating an intense familial bond."'' Shepherd is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (2020) and the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for "Debut Speculative Fiction" from the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

. Her books have been translated to French, Polish, Czech, and Turkish, with the translation right sold in Chinese, Arabic, Dutch and Danish.

Bibliography

*''The Book of M'' (June 2018), ISBN 9780008225629. *''The Future Library'' (August 2021), ISBN 9781250828675. *''The Cartographers'' (March 2022), ISBN 9780062910721.

Translations

*Polish: ''Księga M'' (The Book of M). *Czech: ''Kniha M'' (The Book of M). *Turkish: ''The Book of M''. *French: ''Le Livre de M''.

References

External links

Official website National Endowment for the Arts - Peng Shepherd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Peng Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American fantasy writers Women science fiction and fantasy writers Chinese-American literature New York University alumni Alumni of SOAS University of London Arizona State University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)