Lake Forest Academy recently had the honor of hosting Karen Russell in the Cressey Center for the Arts on September 26. Russell is an American novelist and short story writer. Her most popular works include Swamplandia, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, which is about a family of alligator wrestlers. Russell received the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” in 2013, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Bard Fiction Prize, a Shirley Jackson Award, and was a recipient of 5 Under 35 honoree in 2009 by the National Book.
Russell has been a published author since 2006, when she published St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. The book follows a group of girls who are raised by wolves as they are taken in by nuns and taught how to assimilate into human society.
Her writing journey began through her love of reading and was developed through the support and encouragement of her high school English teachers. After completing her undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, Russell went on to attend Columbia University for a Master of Fine Arts. In Cressey, she told students that her intent was to recreate the joy of reading by making her books accessible to all types of readers. Moreover, she tends to make her books open-ended so readers can debate the possibilities and meaning of the ending. For instance, her short story, Haunting Olivia, which is about two brothers searching for their sister who disappeared, ends with more questions about Olivia’s whereabouts than answers.
To her audience, Russell stands out as a writer because of her unique and innovative storylines. “She is able to take very strange premises and make deeply touching and relatable stories,” John Freeman, Dr. Ray Bird Jr. Master Chair in English, said. She differs from other fiction writers as her characters are innovative in that many are half human and half animal. Most notably, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves and Swamplandia have been optioned for film adaptations. Russell has also been involved in theatrical productions, such as The Niagara Falls, where she worked with composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone and choreographer Troy Schumacher. In 2025, Russell will release a new work of fiction involving witches and the Wild West.
For LFA’s young writers, Russell’s visit provided the opportunity to engage with an internationally acclaimed novelist, learn about her path to success, and receive encouragement to experiment with different styles of writing.
