born Aug. 22, 1935, Norwich, Conn., U.S.
U.S. writer.
She studied at the University of Vermont. She began professional writing with commissioned nonfiction books on cooking, gardening, and country living. She founded and edited (1984–86) Behind the Times , a rural Vermont newspaper, and published stories in men's outdoor magazines. Her first novel, Postcards (1992), depicting the decline of the small farm, received the PEN/Faulkner Award. It was followed by The Shipping News (1993, Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award) and Accordion Crimes (1996). Her story collections Heart Songs (1988) and Close Range (1999) also won high praise.