Bobbie Ann Mason

Born on May 1, 1940, in Kentucky, Bobbie Ann Mason is an acclaimed American essayist, literary critic, novelist, and short story writer. She was raised on her family's dairy farm, where she developed a love for reading and writing at a young age. Mason's first short stories were published in The New Yorker during the 1980s renaissance of the short story, and her debut collection of stories, "Shiloh & Other Stories," won the PEN/Hemingway Award in 1982.

Mason's writing has earned her numerous accolades, including being a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Her work often explores themes of war, memory, and family, drawing from her experiences growing up in rural Kentucky. Mason's novel "In Country" tells the story of a teenager desperate to learn more about her father who died in Vietnam before she was born. The novel was adapted into a film starring Bruce Willis and Emily Lloyd.

Mason's most recent novel, "Dear Ann," revisits the Vietnam War as the backdrop of a love story set in the turbulent sixties. Her previous novel, "The Girl in the Blue Beret," delves into World War II and the ways it is remembered. Mason's memoir, "Clear Springs," about an American farm family throughout the twentieth century, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

In addition to her fiction, Mason has also written literary criticism and essays, and has served as a writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky. She continues to live and write in Kentucky, drawing inspiration from her rural upbringing and her experiences as a Southern woman.