The Story Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 16 (2019) Nominee
Kali Fajardo-Anstine
カリ・ファハルド＝アンスタイン
Kari Faharudo-Ansutain
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1986-11-09 （Denver, Colorado, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Denver, Colorado → Wyoming (during MFA studies) → San Marcos, Texas (while at Texas State University)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, University lecturer
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Affiliations
- Texas State University (Endowed Chair in Creative Writing, 2022–2024)
- Influenced By
- Brad Watson, Joy Williams, Willa Cather (influence and later contributor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan State University of Denver | — | English and Chicano/a Studies | BA | 2004–2008 | United States |
| University of Wyoming | — | Fiction (MFA) | MFA | 2011–2013 | United States |
Metropolitan State University of Denver
English and Chicano/a Studies
Degree:
BA
Period:
2004–2008
Year of Graduation:
2008
Country:
United States
Began drafting early short stories that later developed into published work
University of Wyoming
Fiction (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
2011–2013
Year of Graduation:
2013
Country:
United States
Graduate thesis formed the foundation for the debut collection Sabrina & Corina
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | American Book Award | Sabrina & Corina: Stories | — | Before Columbus Foundation | Won |
| 2019 | National Book Award (Finalist) | Sabrina & Corina: Stories | フィクション | National Book Foundation | Shortlisted |
| 2023 | WILLA Literary Award | Woman of Light | Historical Fiction | Women Writing the West | Won |
| 2023 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | Won |
| 2023 | Reading the West Award | Woman of Light | — | Reading the West | Won |
| 2021 | Addison M. Metcalf Award | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | Won |
| 2020 | The Story Prize (Shortlisted) | Sabrina & Corina: Stories | — | The Story Prize | Shortlisted |
| 2023 | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlisted) | Woman of Light | — | Carol Shields Prize | Longlisted |
American Book Award
2020
Work:
Sabrina & Corina: Stories
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
Won
National Book Award (Finalist)
2019
Work:
Sabrina & Corina: Stories
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Shortlisted
WILLA Literary Award
2023
Work:
Woman of Light
Category:
Historical Fiction
Organization:
Women Writing the West
Result:
Won
Guggenheim Fellowship
2023
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
Won
Reading the West Award
2023
Work:
Woman of Light
Organization:
Reading the West
Result:
Won
Addison M. Metcalf Award
2021
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
Won
The Story Prize (Shortlisted)
2020
Work:
Sabrina & Corina: Stories
Organization:
The Story Prize
Result:
Shortlisted
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction (Longlisted)
2023
Work:
Woman of Light
Organization:
Carol Shields Prize
Result:
Longlisted
Awards & Nominations
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 41 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
Sabrina & Corina: Stories
2019 Short story collectionA collection of stories set in Denver focusing on Chicana and mixed-ancestry women. Themes include abandonment, heritage, home, and the lives of women and girls.
FamilyHeritageIdentityAmerican West
Woman of Light
2022 Historical novelA novel based on family history and overlooked ancestral stories, centering on Luz Lopez and exploring erased histories, land loss, and the memories of women.
Memory and historyLand and dispossessionWomen's experiencesIntergenerational connections
Bibliography
- Sabrina & Corina: Stories (2019)
- Woman of Light (2022)
- Various short stories and essays in magazines
- Introduction to Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop (2023, Penguin Classics)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist character-focused proseInterweaving family histories and regional historySubtle, observational narrative voice
- Recurring Motifs
- Family relationshipsAncestry and memoryLand and dispossessionFemale solidarity
Health
-
Depression幼少期から青年期Feelings of cultural and social not-fitting led her to books and writing for comfort and became an impetus for her creative work.
Legacy
Recognized for bringing visibility to Chicana, mixed-race, and Indigenous-rooted women's stories in the context of the American West. Gained wide attention with Sabrina & Corina and further acclaim with Woman of Light; her work is taught in classrooms and she has held academic appointments.
Archives
- Denver Public Library Western Genealogy Archives (related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Works are taught in high school and college courses across the United States
Quotes
-
I could never pick up a book, turn on the TV, listen to the radio, and find people like us allowed to talk about the nuance of their identity... Everything was always sort of neatly put into categories and those categories did not represent who we were.
Source: Latino USA (interview, 2022) (2022)
Trivia
- She is the second eldest of seven siblings (six sisters and one brother).
- Dropped out of high school, earned a GED, worked as a bookseller while attending university.
- Wrote a new introduction for Willa Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop (Penguin Classics, 2023).