Karen Salyer McElmurray

Karen Salyer McElmurray is the author of Wanting Radiance (a novel, University Press of Kentucky, 2020), The Motel of the Stars: A Novel (Sarabande Books, 2008), Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey (University of Georgia Press, 2006), and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven (University of Georgia Press, 2004), as well as numerous essays and short stories. McElmurray was Editor’s Pick by Oxford American in November 2009.[1] She was the recipient of the AWP Award for Creative Nonfiction (2003),[2] and the Lillie Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing (2001).[3]

Karen Salyer McElmurray
Born	September 12, 1956 Topeka, Kansas, United States
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	American
Genre	Creative nonfiction, Literary Fiction, Memoir
Notable work	Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey
Website
www.karenmcelmurray.com

Personal life

Karen Salyer McElmurray grew up in eastern Kentucky with a difficult childhood. Her mother suffered depression, and McElmurray moved around between a few new towns as her father tried to settle into a new job with the state education department. During her summers, she spent time with her paternal grandmother, and shared a love of words with her childhood best friend. They wrote poems together, igniting McElmurray's love of writing. At fourteen, her parents separated and McElmurray stayed with her father.[4] Two years later, she became pregnant and gained all the life experience necessary for her to later pen her book Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey, her award-winning memoir about the birth and closed-adoption of her son.[5]

Education

• Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Georgia in 1997
• M.A. in English/Writing from Hollins University in 1989
• MFA in Fiction from the University of Virginia in 1986
• B.A. in Philosophy and Literature from Berea College in 1980

Professional and teaching experience

McElmurray has served at numerous colleges and universities as an instructor, professor, and writer-in-residence. She has won faculty awards from Lynchburg College,[6][7] and was named a Distinguished Alumni from Berea College.[8] McElmurray has also worked as editor of multiple literary magazines like Arts & Letters and Prisim. She most recently served as writer-in-residence for Hollins University.[9]

Works

Books

• Walk till the Dogs Get Mean: Appalachian Writers Break the Silence: Essays, co-edited with Adrian Blevins. Forthcoming, Ohio University Press, Fall 2015
• The Motel of the Stars: A Novel. Sarabande Books, 2008
• Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey. University of Georgia Press, 2006
• Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven. University of Georgia Press, 2004
• Wanting Inez: A Novel. Manuscript under revision.

Additional publications

• “Elixir,” The South Dakota Review, Fall 2015
• “Driven,” Women and Their Machines, Forthcoming, University of Michigan Press
• “Looking Inside,” Appalachian Heritage, Spring 2014
• “The Land Between,” Revolution House, Spring 2014
• “Strange Tongues,” winner of Annie Dillard Award,[10] The Bellingham Review, Spring 2014
• “Saved,” essay chosen for Best of the Net[11], 2014
• “Outside the Outside,” Drafthorse, Winter 2013
• “Between,” Family Trouble, October 2013
• “That Night,” Red Holler, October 2013
• “Hurricane,” Riverteeth, Fall, 2012
• “The Red Sari,” Shaking, December 2011
• “At the Rock House Church,” Iron Horse, (Special State of Fiction Issue) Spring 2011
• “Hands,” The Superstition Review, Spring 2011
• “Coming Clean,” The Louisville Review, Spring 2010
• “Once,” in Chances, Motes Books, March 2010
• “Teaching Rapture,” Still: Writing from the Mountain South, October 2009
• “What We Remember, What We Forget,” in To Tell the Truth: Practice and Craft in Narrative Nonfiction, Addison-Wesley, September 2008
• “Trip Around the World,” in An Angle of Vision, University of Michigan Press, December 2009
• “Clutter,” in Dirt, Seal Press, April 2009
• “Gazing: Writing from the Womb,” in Fearless Confessions, University of Georgia Press, May 2009
• “My Mother, Breathing,” in We All Live Downstream, Motes Press
• “Reliquaries, Blue Mesa, Spring 2003
• “June 21, 1973,” Turnings: Transformations in Women’s Lives, Spring 2000
• “Minimalism and Maximalism in the Creative Writing Classroom,” Creating Fiction, Story Press, March 1999
• “Running Away,” The Sun, Winter 1994
• “The Logic of Angels,” The Alaska Quarterly Review, Spring/Summer 1992
• “The Lost Art of Tap Dancing,” The Kenyon Review, Spring/Summer 1992
• “A Royal House,” West Branch, Spring 1990
• “City of Spires, City of Dreams,” The Key West Review, Fall 1989
• “Jeanette: Refractions of Water and Light,” Cargoes, Spring 1989
• “The Tattoo,” Timbuktu, Fall 1988
• “Waiting for the Animals,” The Pikeville Review, Spring 1987
• “Other Fires: A Book Review,” Iris, Fall 1987
• “Fetching Water,” Iris, Spring 1987

Awards

• Emory and Henry College, Fall Conference Honoree, 2014[12]
• Annie Dillard Award for the Essay, The Bellingham Review, Fall 2013[10]
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Berea College, 2013[8]
• Lit Life. Novel of the Year, for The Motel of the Stars. January 2009[13]
• Nominee, Weatherford Award for Fiction,[14] for The Motel of the Stars, January 2009[15]
• Editor’s Pick, Oxford American, November 2009.[1]
• Linda Bruckheimer Series in Fiction, Sarabande Books, 2007[16]
• Georgia Author of the Year Award (Memoir), for Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey, 2005[17][18]
• Appalachian Book of the Year, for Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey, Appalachian Writers Association, 2005[18]
• Finalist, Shenandoah Glasgow Prize for Emerging Writers, 2005[19]
• National Book Critics Circle,[20] Notable Book, for Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey, Winter 2005[9]
• Kentucky Educational Television Book Club Selection, for Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven, June 2005[21]
• Association of Writers and Writing Programs, Award in Creative Nonfiction, 2003[2]
• Lillie Chaffin Award for Appalachian Literature, Morehead State University, 2001[3]
• Nominee, Shirley Rosser Excellence in Teaching Award,[6] Lynchburg College, Spring 2001
• Nominee, Pushcart Prize, for “June 23, 1973,” May 2001
• Nominee, Lillian Anne Smith Award for Best Novel, 2001[22]
• Nominee, Virginia Prize for Fiction, Summer 2000
• James A. Huston Excellence in Scholarship Award, Lynchburg College, 2000[7]
• Nominee, Appalachian Book of the Year, Appalachian Writers Association, 1999[23]
• Finalist, AWP Award Series, Association of Writers and Writing Programs, 1998
• Finalist, Writing Fellowship, Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, 1995, 1993
• Nominee, Pushcart Prize, for “The Logic of Angels,” 1994
• Literature Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 1993[24]
• Nominee, Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction, 1989[25]
• James Purdy Prize for Fiction, 1989[25]

References

1. "Book Reviews: November". Oxford American - The Southern Magazine of Good Writing. The Oxford American. 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
2. "AWP Award Series Winners". Association of Writers & Writing Programs. AWP. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
3. "Thomas and Lille D. Chaffin Award". Morehead State University Chaffin Award. Morehead State University. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
4. Brosi, George (2011). "Karen Salyer McElmurray: A Biographical Sketch". Project Muse. 39.2. Appalachian Heritage. pp. 13–15. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
5. "Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey". UGA Press View Book. University of Georgia Press. 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
6. "Shirley E. Rosser Award for Excellence in Teaching". Faculty Awards. Lynchburg College. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
7. "James A. Huston Award for Excellence in Scholarship". Faculty Awards. Lynchburg College. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
8. "2013 Award Recipients". Alumni Awards. Berea College. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
9. "Karen McElmurray Selected as Hollins' Writer-in-Residence for 2014". Hollins News. Hollins University. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
10. "Announcing 2013 Contest Winners!". Bellingham Review: Literature of Palpable Quality. Bellingham Review. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
11. "Best of the Net Nominees, 2013". Still Journal. Still: The Journal. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
12. "33rd Annual Literary Festival featuring Karen Salyer McElmurray, writer & teacher". Literary Festival. Emory and Henry College. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
13. "Karen McElmurray". Creative Writing Program: Department of English. Indiana University Bloomington. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
14. "Weatherford Award". Loyal Jones Appalachian Center. Berea College. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
15. "Appalachian Center Spring Semester 2010 Events". Loyal Jones Appalachian Center. Berea College. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
16. "Linda Bruckheimer Series in Kentucky Literature". Nettie Jarvis Antiques. Nettie Jarvis Antiques. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
17. "GAYA Archive of Winners". The Georgia Author of the Year Awards. Georgia Writers Association. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
18. "Awards for Surrendered Child". University of Georgia Press. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
19. "Newsletter 2.1". Past Faculty. Sewanee School of Letters. September 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
20. "About". National Book Critics Circle. National Book Critics Circle. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
21. "Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven". June 2005 Book Club Selection. Kentucky Educational Television. 29 July 2013. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
22. "Karen Salyer McElmurray". Georgia Authors. Georgia Center for the Book. 30 September 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
23. "Appalachian Books of the Year". Appalachian Writers Association. East Tennessee State University. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
24. "Literature Fellowships - M". Literature Fellowships Lists. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
25. "Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven: A Novel by Karen Salyer McElmurray". UGA Reader's Guides. University of Georgia Press. Retrieved 8 November 2014.

External links

• Author Website