Rachel Yoder is an American writer from

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

, best known for her novel ''

Nightbitch ''Nightbitch'' is a 2021 novel by American writer Rachel Yoder. The book is a magical realism-style story of a stay-at-home mom who sometimes transforms into a dog. Premise A woman becomes a stay-at-home mother to take care of her child. She ...

''.

Life and career

Yoder grew up in an intentional

Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...

community in the Appalachian foothills of eastern

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, before attending the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Nonfiction Writing Program and earning an MFA from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. She earned an undergraduate degree from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

. She is the founder of ''draft: the journal of process''. In 2021, she released her debut novel ''

'', which was a "best book of the year" in ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' and ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' and a finalist for the

PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel The PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction is awarded annually to a full-length novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and fu ...

, among other awards. A 2024 film based on the book starred

Amy Adams Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received List of awards and nom ...

, whose performance received a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nomination for "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy." Yoder is currently Assistant Professor of Screenwriting and Cinema Arts at the

References

External links

Official site
American women novelists American Mennonites Living people Mennonite writers Novelists from Iowa Novelists from Ohio University of Arizona alumni University of Iowa alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Georgetown University alumni 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers {{US-novelist-stub