Lisa Ko

Lisa Ko
Born
New York City, U.S.
Alma materWesleyan University
Occupation(s)Writer, editor
Notable workThe Leavers
Memory Piece
AwardsPEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, National Book Award for Fiction finalist
Websitelisa-ko.com

Lisa Ko is an American writer. Her debut novel, The Leavers, won the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction and was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award for Fiction. She has written for The New York Times'.[1]

Early life

[edit]

Born in New York City,[2] Ko grew up as the daughter of Chinese immigrants from the Philippines in a predominantly white area of suburban New Jersey. She began writing stories and keeping a journal at the age of five, though she only shared the work with others in high school. She then attended Wesleyan University, majoring in English.

Career

[edit]

Ko participated in the founding of Hyphen magazine, serving as books editor.[3]

Ko published her debut novel, The Leavers, with Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill in 2017[4] after winning the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. Established by Barbara Kingsolver, the prize awards $25,000 as well as a book contract for a work of previously unpublished fiction engaging social justice topics.[5] The book follows Polly, an undocumented immigrant from China to the United States, and her son Deming, who is adopted by a white couple when Polly goes missing.[6]

The Leavers was inspired by a 2009 New York Times story about an undocumented immigrant woman who was held, largely in solitary confinement, for more than a year and a half.[7] Reviewing the book in The New York Times, Gish Jen said Ko's book "has taken the headlines and reminded us that beyond them lie messy, brave, extraordinary, ordinary lives."[8]

The Leavers was a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award for fiction,[9] and won the Asian Pacific American Award for Adult Fiction.[10]

In 2024, Ko published her second novel, Memory Piece, with Riverhead Books.

Personal life

[edit]

Ko lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • The Leavers. Algonquin Books. 2017. ISBN 978-1616206888.
  • Memory Piece. Riverhead Books. 2024. ISBN 978-0593542101.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Ko, Lisa, "Opinions: the Myth of the Interchangeable Asian," The New York Times, October 14, 2018
  2. ^ Hong, Terry (2 May 2017). "'The Leavers,' inspired by a real story, confronts transracial adoption". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  3. ^ Hung, Melissa (28 May 2017). "Interview with "The Leavers" Author Lisa Ko". Hyphen Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  4. ^ "THE LEAVERS by Lisa Ko". Kirkus Books. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  5. ^ Cha, Steph (8 June 2017). "The immigrant novel, 2017: Lisa Ko's 'The Leavers' shines a light on ugly truths". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  6. ^ Miller, Stuart (12 May 2017). "Lisa Ko Talks Immigration, Fractured Families and The Leavers". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  7. ^ Weiss-Meyer, Amy (14 May 2017). "'The Leavers' Is a Wrenching Tale of Parenthood". The Atlantic. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  8. ^ Jen, Gish (16 May 2017). "Migration, a Makeshift Family, and Then a Disappearance". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  9. ^ "2017 National Book Award finalists revealed". CBS News. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  10. ^ "2017-2018 Awards Winners". APALA. 11 February 2018. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lisa_Ko&oldid=1253957359"