Claire Beams is a highly acclaimed historical fiction author, best known for her short story collection titled "We Show What We Have Learned." This collection, published in 2016, was a finalist in several prestigious awards, including the Shirley Jackson Award, Young Lions Fiction Award, and PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize. It was also named as one of the best debuts of 2016 by Kirkus Reviews.
Beams has received numerous accolades for her work, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Sustainable Arts Foundation. Her writing has been featured in several prominent publications, such as One Story, n+1, Ecotone, The Common, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. Her fiction has also received special mention in The Best American Short Stories 2013 and The Pushcart Prize XXXV.
Beyond her writing, Beams is also an accomplished creative writing teacher. She has taught in various institutions and currently resides in Pittsburgh with her husband and daughters. Her first novel, "The Illness Lesson," was published in February 2020 by Doubleday and has received critical acclaim, including being named a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a best book of 2020 by Esquire and Bustle. She has a new novel, "The Garden," set to be published by Doubleday in 2023.