Susan Scarf Merrell is an American author who has published novels, short stories, and essays. Her second novel, ''Shirley'', about a young woman who goes to live with novelist

Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson (December 14, 1916 – August 8, 1965) was an American writer known primarily for her works of horror and mystery. Over the duration of her writing career, which spanned over two decades, she composed six novels, two me ...

and

Stanley Edgar Hyman Stanley Edgar Hyman (June 11, 1919 – July 29, 1970) was an American literary critic who wrote primarily about critical methods: the distinct strategies critics use in approaching literary texts. He was the husband of writer Shirley Jackson. L ...

in their Bennington home in 1964, was published June 12, 2014 by Blue Rider/

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Tin House ''Tin House'' is an American book publisher based in Portland, Oregon, and New York City. Portland publisher Win McCormack originally conceived the idea for a literary magazine called ''Tin House'' in the summer of 1998. He enlisted Holly MacArt ...

'', ''

The Writer's Chronicle ''The Writer's Chronicle'' is a journal published six times each year. It is the flagship publication of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs. The ''Writer's Chronicle'' "presents essays, articles, news, and information designed to e ...

'', ''

The Southampton Review Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of Stony Brook University, located in Southampton (town), New York, Southampton, New York between the Shinnecock Indian Reservation and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the eastern end of Long Island. H ...

'', and '' The New Haven Review''. Her debut novel, ''A Member of the Family'' was published in 2001 after her publication of ''The Accidental Bond: How Sibling Connections Influence Adult Relationships'' in 1997. A graduate of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

's College of Arts & Sciences, Merrell received her MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

and teaches in the MFA program at

Stony Brook Southampton Stony Brook Southampton is a campus location of Stony Brook University, located in Southampton, New York between the Shinnecock Indian Reservation and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on the eastern end of Long Island. History Southampton College, ...

. She is also director of the Southampton Writers Conference. Merrell is married to James Merrell. She is the daughter of journalist

Maggie Scarf Margaret Scarf (née Klein; May 13, 1932) is an American writer, journalist, and lecturer. Life and career Her award-winning books and articles specialize in women, family relationships, and marriage in particular, including the best-selling ...

and economist

Herbert Scarf Herbert Eli "Herb" Scarf (July 25, 1930 – November 15, 2015) was an American mathematical economist and Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University. Education and career Scarf was born in Philadelphia, the son of Jewish emigrants from U ...

. She has two sisters,

Martha Samuelson Martha S. Samuelson is CEO and Chairman of Analysis Group, Inc. Samuelson is an expert in antitrust, finance, and valuation, combining her training in finance and economics with five years of experience as a practicing trial attorney. A critical ...

and Betsy S. Stone.

Publications

*''The Accidental Bond: How Sibling Connections Influence Adult Relationships'' (1997) *''A Member of the Family: A Novel'' (2001) *''Shirley: A Novel'' (2014)

References

External links

* American magazine editors Stony Brook University faculty Living people American women non-fiction writers Women magazine editors American women novelists Cornell University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers Bennington College alumni American women academics {{US-novelist-stub