Naomi Benaron is an American author. With her novel Running the Rift she won the 2010 Bellwether Prize

Bellwether Prize

The Bellwether Prize for Fiction is a biennial award given to a U.S. citizen for a previously unpublished work of fiction that address issues of social justice. The prize was established by noted author Barbara Kingsolver, and is funded by her. Winning authors receive a $25,000 award and a...

 for fiction. This is awarded to a first novel which contributed to a literature of social engagement. Her collection of short stories Love Letter from a Fat Man, won the 2006 G.S. Sharat Chandra

G.S. Sharat Chandra

G.S. Sharat Chandra was an internationally acclaimed author of both poetry and fiction. Much of his work touches on the deep emotions of the Indian/American immigrant....

 Prize for Fiction. Both the novel and the short story collection dealt with the Rwandan genocide

Rwandan Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...

. Ms Benaron has also published poetry and short stories in many journals and anthologies.

Born and raised in Boston, she lives in Tucson, and has worked at a variety of jobs while writing. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Antioch University in Los Angelos, and a Master of Science degree in Earth Sciences from Scripps Institute of Oceanography.