Amy Shearn (born 1979) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of fiction,

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

, and humor.

Biography

Shearn's

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to ...

''How Far Is The Ocean From Here'' was published by

Shaye Areheart The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded into ...

Books on July 22, 2008. Shearn's second novel ''The Mermaid of Brooklyn'' was released in the US on April 2, 2013, published by Touchstone, a division of

Simon and Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...

. It was released in the UK on August 1, 2013 by

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, est ...

. Work by Shearn has been published in '' Jane Magazine'', ''West Branch'', ''Salt Hill'', ''

Opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy '' Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...

'', ''Lyric'', ''3rd Bed'', ''Poets and Writers'', '' Passages North'', and the ''

Found Magazine ''Found Magazine'', created by Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, collected and cataloged found notes, photos, and other ephemera, publishing them in an irregularly issued magazine, in books, and on its website ...

'' anthology ''Requiem for a Paper Bag''. Shearn's non-fiction writing has appeared in

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Redbook ''Redbook'' is an American women's magazine that is published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the " Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines. It ceased print publication as of January 2019 and now operates an article-compris ...

Real Simple ''Real Simple'' is an American monthly magazine published by Dotdash Meredith. The magazine features articles and information related to homemaking, childcare, cooking, and emotional well-being. The magazine is distinguished by its clean, unclut ...

JSTOR JSTOR (; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library founded in 1995 in New York City. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of j ...

, and many others. In addition to printed work,

short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by Shearn has appeared on various literary

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...

s including ''Brink'', ''Sub-Lit'', ''Gutcult'', ''Five Chapters'', ''Hobart'', ''Nidus'', and ''Elimae''. Shearn currently resides in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, NY, and has taught writing at

Gotham Writers' Workshop Gotham Writers Workshop is the United States's largest adult-education writing school. It was founded in New York City in 1993 by writers Jeff Fligelman and David Grae. It was one of the first schools to offer online education, launching its onl ...

Gotham Writer's Workshop Faculty Profile
and NYU: SCPS.

Selected works

;Novel * ''How Far Is The Ocean From Here'' (2008) * ''The Mermaid of Brooklyn'' (2013) ;Short stories * ''Photo Me'' (''Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World (Found Anthology))'' * ''The Suspension of Disbelief'' (''Opium'' July 7, 2008) * ''Questions and Answers from the Book of Knowledge'' (''West Branch'' Fall / Winter 2005) * ''Spare Parts'' * ''The Kidnapped'' * ''Arlen's Arm'' * ''The Dogwalker'' * ''The Burt Smithsons'' * ''The News from Guthrie, Oklahoma'' * ''Once We Had Hundreds of Chairs''

References

External links

Amy Shearn interview with ''Author Magazine''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shearn, Amy 21st-century American novelists American women novelists Writers from Brooklyn Novelists from New York City Living people 1979 births 21st-century American women writers