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Kellie Wells

ケリー・ウェルズ

Kellie Wells

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Short story writer, Novelist, Professor of English
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis, University of Alabama, Pacific University (low-residency MFA)

Education

University of Kansas
Journalism / English
Degree: BS, BA
Country: United States
Earned a BS in Journalism and a BA in English
University of Montana
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Received MFA
University of Pittsburgh
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Attended/received MFA (multiple MFA programs listed)
Western Michigan University
English / Creative Writing (PhD)
Degree: PhD
Country: United States
Earned PhD

Awards

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2001
Work: Compression Scars
Organization: Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
Result: Winner
Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award
2002
Organization: Rona Jaffe Foundation
Result: Winner
Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award
2002
Organization: Great Lakes Colleges Association
Result: Winner
Baltic Writing Residency
2014
Organization: Baltic Writing Residency
Result: Residency
Sullivan Prize in Short Fiction
2016
Organization: Sullivan Prize
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

God, the Moon, and Other Megafauna

2017 Short story collection

A collection of short stories mixing the fantastical and the real, exploring themes of the body, identity, and human relationships.

BodyIdentityMagical realism

Fat Girl, Terrestrial

2012 Short story collection

A short story collection focusing on the body, femininity, coming of age, and interpersonal relationships.

FemininityComing of ageBody image

Skin

2006 Short story collection

Includes the title story and other pieces that sharply examine bodily experience and the relationship between outward appearance and inner life.

AppearanceBodily sensationIdentity

Compression Scars

2002 Short story collection

An early collection that won the Flannery O'Connor Award; it contains experimental and evocative short stories.

Experimental techniquesSymbolismHuman relationships

Bibliography

  • Compression Scars
  • Skin
  • Fat Girl, Terrestrial
  • God, the Moon, and Other Megafauna

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Blend of magical realism and experimental short fictionEmphasis on bodily descriptionRich symbolic imagery
Recurring Motifs
The body and its transformationsFragments of family and relationshipsFairy-tale elements

Legacy

Known as an American short story writer and educator, praised for experimental and symbolic short fiction. She has directed and taught in MFA programs and influenced many emerging writers.

Trivia

  • Served as director of the graduate writing program at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • Teaches and directs in the MFA program at the University of Alabama.
  • Work has appeared in numerous literary journals (The Kenyon Review, The Gettysburg Review, etc.).