Rita Bullwinkel is an American author who is known for her 2024 debut novel ''Headshot'', which was longlisted for the

2024 Booker Prize The 2024 Booker Prize is a literary award worth £50,000 given for the best English-language novel published between 1 October 2023 and 30 September 2024 in either the United Kingdom or Ireland. The winner, Samantha Harvey (author), Samantha Ha ...

and was a finalist for the

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published during ...

. She is also the author of the 2018 collection of short stories ''Belly Up'', which was awarded a

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, ...

in 2022. Bullwinkel is a professor at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

, where she teaches creative writing. Her other works have appeared in literary journals including ''

The White Review ''The White Review'' is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online. History Founding ''The White Review'' was founded by editors Benjamin Eastham and Jacques Testard, and released its firs ...

'', ''

BOMB A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

'', ''

NOON Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cl ...

'' and ''

Guernica Guernica (, ), officially Gernika () in Basque, is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the municipality of Gernika-Lumo ...

''. In 2024, Bullwinkel became the editor of the literary magazine '' McSweeney's Quarterly'' after having served an editor at large since 2016.

Career

Bullwinkel's 2024 novel ''Headshot'' follows the lives of eight young female boxers as they converge on Reno, Nevada for a two-day boxing tournament in July. The boxing tournament, held at Bob's Boxing Palace (a dilapidated warehouse), hosts the Daughters of America Cup, which consists of single elimination boxing matches between under 18 female boxers. Each chapter of the book is devoted to a boxing match in the tournament, with the chapters describing the matches as well as exploring each athlete's history and background. Other parts of the narrative moves into the future and details the women's future lives. Writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Dwight Garner Dwight Garner (born January 8, 1965) is an American journalist and longtime writer and editor for ''The New York Times''. In 2008, he was named a book critic for the newspaper. He is the author of ''Garner's Quotations: A Modern Miscellany'' and ...

stated that the novel's introspective approach to the narrative, focusing on the women's motivations, inner thoughts, past and future lives and ambitions rather than the outcomes of the matches provided for a rapturous experience. Garner stated: "The drama is intense but interior. We are inside a torrid

mille-feuille A (; ),The name is also written as and . also known by the names Napoleon in North America, vanilla slice in the United Kingdom, and custard slice, is a French dessert made of puff pastry layered with pastry cream. Its modern form was influ ...

of perception." Writing for ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'', John Self stated that the novel "succeeds on its own idiosyncratic terms and leaves the reader's head ringing." Self felt that the character development and exposition were the strongest features of the work, concluding that: "Bullwinkel manages to make each girl spark distinctively on the page." Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'',

Benjamin Myers Benjamin Myers (born 14 May 1978) is an Australian theologian at Alphacrucis University College, and a research fellow of the Centre for Centre for Religion, Ethics and Society (CRES) at Charles Sturt University. From 2009 to 2017 Myers was a ...

stated that the novel showcased the grittiness and violence of the boxing matches in lyrical detail while also exploring the inner struggles of the women as they navigate society. In 2025, ''Headshot'' was shortlisted for the

Gordon Burn Prize The Gordon Burn Prize was launched in 2013 as a vehicle by which "to reward fiction or non-fiction written in the English language, which in the opinion of the judges most successfully represents the spirit and sensibility of nowiki/>Gordon Burn ...

and longlisted for the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award (), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. It promotes excellence in world literature and is solely ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullwinkel, Rita Living people American writers University of San Francisco faculty Year of birth missing (living people)