Natalie Lima is a Cuban Puerto Rican author who works at Butler University in Indianapolis.[1][2] Her short fiction and nonfiction writings have been selected for awards and anthologies, including Best American Essays for 2019 and 2020.[3][4]
Natalie Lima | |
|---|---|
 Natalie Lima at the Loudmouth bookstore in Indianapolis, Indiana. | |
| Born | June 12, 1986 |
| Occupation | Author and creative writing professor |
| Alma mater |
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| Notable awards | Best American Essays (2019 and 2020) |
| Website | |
| natalielima | |
Early life and education
editNatalie Lima was born in Miami on June 12, 1986. Growing up she lived in Hialeah and Las Vegas. Lima's family includes Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage.[1] In an interview, she describes her upbringing as "mixed race" and "working class."[5]
Lima is the first person from her family to earn a college degree. She completed her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.[6] Later she earned her MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Arizona.[7]
Career
editLima began working as a creative writing professor at Butler University in 2022.[8] Her work has been selected for the Best Small Fictions list[9] and she has been mentioned in Best American Essays in 2019 and 2020.[3][4] As a writer she has received scholarships and fellowships from notable organizations, including: PEN America, Bread Loaf, Tin House, and the Mellon Foundation.[1][6][10] In 2020 Lima completed a residency at Hedgebrook.[1][11] Lima served as a judge for the Ray Ventre Nonfiction Prize in 2021.[12] In 2023, Literary Hub recommended Lima for readers interested in online flash fiction.[13]
In an interview, Lima names Toni Morrison, Sandra Cisneros, Ottessa Moshfegh, Celeste Ng, Samantha Irby, Jaquira Diaz, Michelle Tea, and others as influences.[5]
Works
editNatalie Lima's work has been published by Longreads, Guernica, Brevity, The Offing, Catapult, and in the anthologies Sex and the Single Woman (2022) and Body Language (2022).[1] Lima's work includes a wide range of themes including women's bodies, gender relations, sexuality, and more.[14] As an essayist, her life experiences often serve as subjects for creative work. For example, her struggles as a first-generation college student are central to her essay, "Snowbound."[15][16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Natalie Lima". Flamboyan. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Chung, Nicole; Ortile, Matt (2022-07-12). Body Language: Writers on Identity, Physicality, and Making Space for Ourselves. Catapult. ISBN 978-1-64622-132-5.
- ^ a b Solnit, Rebecca; Atwan, Robert (October 2019). The Best American Essays 2019. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-1-328-46580-1.
- ^ a b Aciman, Andr; Aciman, André; Atwan, Robert (2020-10-06). The Best American Essays 2020. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-358-35991-3.
- ^ a b Ugwueze, Kosiso (2019-10-11). "Q&A with Natalie Lima, author of "Men Paid Me to Eat"". The Offing (Medium). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ a b "MFA Faculty & Staff | Butler University". College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "Snowbound". Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "Natalie Lima". Natalie Lima. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "BSF Selections 2020 | sonderpress". 2020-06-13. Archived from the original on 2020-06-13. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "Mellon Foundation". www.mellon.org. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "WiR Current Residents". Hedgebrook.org. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ "PN interviews nonfiction contest judge Natalie Lima". Passages North. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ May, Rachel; Belc, Krys Malcolm (2023-02-17). "New Ways to Workshop: A Reading List to Inspire Literary Innovation". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Seupersad, Sarojini (2022-07-12). "Book review of Body Language edited by Nicole Chung and Matt Ortile". BookPage | Discover your next great book!. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Cawood, Shuly Xóchitl (2021-03-28). "Making the reader feel something. Please. Show and tell, a craft essay". Cleaver Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Silverman, Sue William (2024). Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-4962-3810-8.