Viola Shipman was born in East Orange, New Jersey, and grew up in Newark. She was educated at the University of Miami, Huron College, and the University of Iowa. She received her MFA degree from the University of Iowa.
Her writing credits include three collections of poetry, two novels, three novellas, six short story collections, a children's book, short fiction for adults and juveniles, and essays on literature and art
Read more
Her works have been translated into German, Norwegian, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek, Hebrew and Hungarian. Her story "The Cold Equations" was included in "Penguin Modern Classics" (2005).
She has received grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and has had five stories published in "Best American Short Stories".
Some of her work has appeared in "The Best American Short Stories", "The O. Henry Prize Stories", "The Pushcart Prize", "The Best American Mystery Stories", "Best Women’s Erotica 2007" by Cleis Press Inc., "Best Women’s Erotica 2008" by Cleis Press Inc., "Best American Mystery Stories 2008" by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, "Best Lesbian Romance 2008" by Cleis Press Inc., "Best Lesbian Romance 2009" by Cleis Press Inc., "Best Gay Romance 2009" by Cleis Press Inc., "Best Lesbian Romance 2010" by Cleis Press Inc., and “Paranormal Romance 2010” edited by Bella Andre. She is also the recipient of a grant from The Lannan Foundation for her work chronicling women's experiences with domestic violence.