Nina McConigley (born 1975) is an Indian-Irish-American fiction writer and playwright known for her focus on the American West, particularly the immigrant experience in rural settings. Her short story collection, Cowboys and East Indians, won the 2014 PEN/Open Book Award [1] and the High Plains Book Award.[2]
Early life and education
editNina Swamidoss McConigley was born to an Irish father and an Indian mother in Singapore. She was raised in Casper, Wyoming, after her family moved there when she was a baby. McConigley holds a BA in English from Saint Olaf College, an MA in English from the University of Wyoming, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston.
Writing career
editMcConigley's work centers on Wyoming and the American West, often exploring the rural immigrant experience. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Orion, Ploughshares, Alaska Quarterly Review, High Country News, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parents, Virginia Quarterly Review, American Short Fiction, and The Asian American Literary Review.
Her quarterly column Township and Range for High Country News,[3] launched in 2022, was a finalist for the National Magazine Award in 2024.
McConigley's works have gained notable recognition. Her play adaptation of Cowboys and East Indians was commissioned by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, with a world premiere set for 2026.[4] She has two forthcoming books: How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder (Pantheon, 2026) and an essay collection with Crux: The Georgia Series in Literary Nonfiction (University of Georgia Press).
Fellowships and awards
editMcConigley has received numerous awards and fellowships for her work, including:
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowship, 2022[5]
- Walter Jackson Bate Fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University, 2019-2020[6]
- Humanities Research Group Fellowship, Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research, 2021–2022
- Theodore Morrison Fellowship in Fiction, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, 2014
- Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, 2008
- Barthelme Memorial Fellowship in Nonfiction, 2005
- Inprint Brown Foundation Fellowship, University of Houston, 2003
Personal life
editNina McConigley taught at the University of Wyoming for 13 years and now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she teaches at Colorado State University[7] and in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She is the daughter of Nimi McConigley, a former Wyoming state legislator. McConigley holds dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland.
References
edit- ^ "Nina McConigley's Book 'Cowboys and East Indians' Wins PEN Award". NBC News. 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Winners". highplainsbookawards.org. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Township and Range Archives". High Country News. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ Lane ·, Eden (2024-03-20). "For two emerging playwrights, Colorado New Play Summit is a convergence of creativity, inclusion, and representation". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Nina McConigley". www.arts.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Nina McConigley". Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- ^ "Nina McConigley, Assistant Professor - College of Liberal Arts | Colorado State University". College of Liberal Arts. Retrieved 2024-09-14.