Aryn Kyle
Encyclopedia
Aryn Kyle is an American
novelist and short story writer.
and grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado
. She graduated from Colorado State University
and received an MFA
in fiction from the University of Montana.
Kyle’s first short story, “Foaling Season”, was published by The Atlantic Monthly
and went on to win a 2004 National Magazine Award in fiction.
“Foaling Season” became the first chapter of Kyle’s debut novel, The God of Animals
, which was published by Scribner
in March 2007 and became a national bestseller.
The God of Animals
is the story of Alice Winston, a young girl coming of age on her family’s rundown horse ranch. The novel is set in the fictional town of Desert Valley, which Kyle based on Grand Junction, Colorado
. The God of Animals
won an Alex Award
, a Spur Award for Best Novel of the West
and was named by Amazon.com
as the Number One Fiction Debut of 2007.
Kyle has had short stories published in The Atlantic Monthly
, Ploughshares
, The Georgia Review
, The Alaska Quarterly Review
, StoryQuarterly
, and in the anthologies Best New American Voices 2005, and Best American Short Stories 2007. Her short story collection, Boys and Girls Like You and Me, was released by Scribner in the spring of 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and short story writer.
Life
Kyle was born in Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
. She graduated from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
and received an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in fiction from the University of Montana.
Kyle’s first short story, “Foaling Season”, was published by The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
and went on to win a 2004 National Magazine Award in fiction.
“Foaling Season” became the first chapter of Kyle’s debut novel, The God of Animals
The God of Animals
-Plot:Alice Winston, a twelve-year-old girl, struggles with her place in the world the summer after her sister runs away from home and marries a rodeo cowboy. Her mother—bedridden because of postpartum depression—hasn't left her bedroom since Alice was an infant, and her father is failing to keep...
, which was published by Scribner
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
in March 2007 and became a national bestseller.
The God of Animals
The God of Animals
-Plot:Alice Winston, a twelve-year-old girl, struggles with her place in the world the summer after her sister runs away from home and marries a rodeo cowboy. Her mother—bedridden because of postpartum depression—hasn't left her bedroom since Alice was an infant, and her father is failing to keep...
is the story of Alice Winston, a young girl coming of age on her family’s rundown horse ranch. The novel is set in the fictional town of Desert Valley, which Kyle based on Grand Junction, Colorado
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
. The God of Animals
The God of Animals
-Plot:Alice Winston, a twelve-year-old girl, struggles with her place in the world the summer after her sister runs away from home and marries a rodeo cowboy. Her mother—bedridden because of postpartum depression—hasn't left her bedroom since Alice was an infant, and her father is failing to keep...
won an Alex Award
Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are also a separate award given for excellence in entertainment packaging.The Alex Awards is an annual event designed to commend and honor the ten books published for adults during the previous year, which have been also judged to have "special appeal" for young readers, primarily...
, a Spur Award for Best Novel of the West
Spur Award for Best Novel of the West
This is a list of the works of fiction which have won the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West:* 1953 - Best Historical Novel: "The Wheel and the Hearth" by Lucia Moore* 1954 - Best Historical Novel: "Journey by the River" by John Prescott...
and was named by Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
as the Number One Fiction Debut of 2007.
Kyle has had short stories published in The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, Ploughshares
Ploughshares
Ploughshares is an American literary magazine founded in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O'Malley in The Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, Ploughshares has been based at Emerson College in the heart of Boston...
, The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review is an award-winning, nationally respected literary journal founded in 1947 that includes poetry, art, fiction, essays and reviews. It won the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 1986 and the National Magazine Award for Essay in 2007...
, The Alaska Quarterly Review
The Alaska Quarterly Review
The Alaska Quarterly Review is a biannual literary journal founded in 1980 by Ronald Spatz and James Liszka at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Ronald Spatz serves as editor-in-chief...
, StoryQuarterly
StoryQuarterly
StoryQuarterly is an American literary journal based at Rutgers University–Camden in Camden, New Jersey. It was founded in 1975 by Pamela Painter, among others. Works originally published in StoryQuarterly have been subsequently selected for inclusion in The Prize Stories: The O...
, and in the anthologies Best New American Voices 2005, and Best American Short Stories 2007. Her short story collection, Boys and Girls Like You and Me, was released by Scribner in the spring of 2010.
Novels and collections
- The God of AnimalsThe God of Animals-Plot:Alice Winston, a twelve-year-old girl, struggles with her place in the world the summer after her sister runs away from home and marries a rodeo cowboy. Her mother—bedridden because of postpartum depression—hasn't left her bedroom since Alice was an infant, and her father is failing to keep...
(2007) - Boys and Girls Like You and Me (2010)
Short stories
- "Nine" from The Atlantic Monthly
- "Foaling Season" from The Atlantic Monthly
- "Femme" from The Georgia Review
- "Allegiance" from Ploughshares
- "Brides" from Best New American Voices 2005
- "The Company of Strangers" from The Alaska Quarterly Review
- "Little Deaths" from StoryQuarterly
- "Employee/Manager Relations" from Conversley.com
Awards
- National Magazine Award, 2004
- Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' AwardRona Jaffe Foundation Writers' AwardThe Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award is an award given annually to women writers of exceptional talent, with an emphasis on those at early stages of their careers. Established in 1995 by American author Rona Jaffe, the Foundation offers grants to writers of poetry, fiction, and creative...
, 2005 - Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association AwardPacific Northwest Booksellers Association AwardSince 1965, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, or PNBA, has presented annual awards to recognize excellence in writing from the American Pacific Northwest...
, 2008 - Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association Award, 2008
- American Library Association Alex AwardAlex AwardsThe Alex Awards are also a separate award given for excellence in entertainment packaging.The Alex Awards is an annual event designed to commend and honor the ten books published for adults during the previous year, which have been also judged to have "special appeal" for young readers, primarily...
, 2008 - Spur Award for Best Novel of the WestSpur Award for Best Novel of the WestThis is a list of the works of fiction which have won the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West:* 1953 - Best Historical Novel: "The Wheel and the Hearth" by Lucia Moore* 1954 - Best Historical Novel: "Journey by the River" by John Prescott...
, 2008
External links
- Official Website
- Open Loop Press Interview
- Interview on NPR’s Weekend Edition
- "Nine" from The Atlantic Monthly
- "Foaling Season" from The Atlantic Monthly