Laura Kalpakian
Encyclopedia
Laura Anne Kalpakian is an American
author
. She has also published under the pen name
s Juliet Fitzgerald and Carenna Jane Greye. She is known for her work in the memoir
genre.
and grew up in southern California. She earned her undergraduate degree from University of California, Riverside
in 1967. After starting her career as a social worker, she earned a Masters Degree from the University of Delaware
in 1970. She earned a Ph.D. in literature from the University of California, San Diego
in 1977.
She has received funding from the National Endowment of the Arts and has won a Pushcart Prize
, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
, and the first Anahid Literary Award for an American writer of Armenian
descent.
Her son is composer Bear McCreary
.
As Juliet Jackson
As Carenna Jane Greye
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She has also published under the pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s Juliet Fitzgerald and Carenna Jane Greye. She is known for her work in the memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
genre.
Life and career
Kalpakian was born in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
and grew up in southern California. She earned her undergraduate degree from University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
in 1967. After starting her career as a social worker, she earned a Masters Degree from the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
in 1970. She earned a Ph.D. in literature from the University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
in 1977.
She has received funding from the National Endowment of the Arts and has won a Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
Since 1965, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, or PNBA, has presented annual awards to recognize excellence in writing from the American Pacific Northwest...
, and the first Anahid Literary Award for an American writer of Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent.
Her son is composer Bear McCreary
Bear McCreary
Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:...
.
Selected works
As Laura Kalpakian- Educating Waverly (William Morrow, 2002)
- The delinquent virgin (Graywolf Press, 1999)
- Steps and exes: a novel of family (Bard, 1999)
- Caveat (John F. Blair, 1998)
- Cosette: the sequel to Les Misérables (HarperCollins, 1995)
- Graced land (Grove Weidenfeld, 1992)
- Dark continent and other stories (Viking, 1989)
- Crescendo (Random House, 1987)
- The swallow inheritance (Headline, 1987)
- Fair Augusto and other stories (Graywolf Press, 1986)
- These latter days (Times Books, 1985)
- Beggars and choosers (Little, Brown, 1978)
As Juliet Jackson
- Belle Haven (Viking, 1990)
As Carenna Jane Greye
- Tiger Hill (Piatkus Books, 1985)
External links
- Laura A. Kalpakian Papers, ca. 1980- via Online Archive of California