Kate Elizabeth Russell

Kate Elizabeth Russell is an American novelist best known for her 2020 debut novel My Dark Vanessa, which became a national bestseller and was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. Raised in Clifton, Maine, she earned a BFA in creative writing from the University of Maine at Farmington, an MFA from Indiana University, and a PhD in creative writing from the University of Kansas. Russell's work examines power, memory, and trauma and has provoked wide public conversation since her debut.