Lucy Tan is an American author, well-known for her literary fiction novels. She spent her formative years in the suburbs of New Jersey, but her life has taken her to other parts of the world as well. Tan has lived in New York City and Shanghai, and these diverse locales often feature in her writing. Her fiction focuses on characters whose homes are in a state of flux, reflecting her own experiences with movement and change.
Tan earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an institution that has played a significant role in her career. While there, she received the 2016 August Derleth Prize and currently holds the position of James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow. Her work has been published in a number of prestigious journals, including McSweeney’s, Asia Literary Review, and Ploughshares.
Tan's debut novel, "What We Were Promised," was longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was named a Best Book of 2018 by The Washington Post, Refinery 29, and Amazon. This achievement is a testament to her talent and hard work, and it has solidified her position as a rising star in the literary world. Despite her success, Tan remains committed to her craft and to the creative community at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.