Lydi Conklin
American writer
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Education
Conklin received a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard College and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1]
Career
From 2015 to 2017, Conklin was a Creative Writing Fellow at Emory University,[1][2][3] and from 2019 to 2021, they were a Stegner Fellow in Fiction at Stanford University.[4]
Conklin has received a Stegner Fellowship (2019–2021),[4] as well as fellowships and residencies from MacDowell (2011 and 2021),[5] Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (2019),[6] the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (2018),[7][8] Lighthouse Works (2015),[9] Millay Arts (2013),[10] the James Merrill House (2012),[11] Harvard University (2007),[3][12] Jentel,[13] Yaddo,[14] Brush Creek, Caldera, Djerassi, Hedgebrook, the Santa Fe Art Institute, and the Vermont Studio Center.[6] They've also received grants and awards from the Astraea Foundation,[15] the Puffin Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council (2014),[16] the Alliance of Artists Communities, and the Council for Wisconsin Writers.[1]
Conklin has received four Pushcart Prizes,[17] as well as a Rona Jaffe Writer's Award (2018)[18][19] and the Larry and Eleanor Sternig Short Fiction Award (2011).[20][21]
Conklin was the Helen Zell Visiting Professor in Fiction at the University of Michigan in 2021-2022.[22] In 2022, they served as a judge for the Third Coast's Fiction Contest.[23]
Conklin is currently Assistant Professor of Fiction in the Department of English at Vanderbilt University[24]
Selected texts
Rainbow, Rainbow (2022)
Rainbow, Rainbow, expected to be published May 31, 2022 by Catapult and June 9, 2022, by Scribner UK,[needs update] is a collection of short stories.
TIME has named Rainbow, Rainbow one of "The 21 Most Anticipated Books of 2022."[25] The book has also landed on "most anticipated" lists from LGBTQ Reads[26] and Electric Literature.[27] Library Journal has also included it in a "must read" list.[28]
Songs of No Provenance (2025)
Songs of No Provenance, Conklin's first novel, was published June 3, 2025 by Catapult.[17]
Chicago Review of Books, named Songs of No Provenance one of "12 Must-Read Books of June 2025."[29] The book was also included in "most anticipated" lists from LGBTQ Reads,[30] Our Culture Magazine[31] and Literary Hub.[32]
Publications
Books
- Rainbow, Rainbow, published May 31, 2022[25][needs update][ISBN missing]
- Songs of No Provenance, published June 3, 2025[17][ISBN missing]
Cartoons
- "Gum Preservation," published on Everyday Genius (2013)[33]
- "Pinprick," published in Drunken Boat (2021)[34]
Narrative Magazine (2009–2019)
The following comics were published in Narrative Magazine.
- "Diet" (Winter 2009)
- "Rat Finance" (Spring 2009)
- "Tapeworm" (Fall 2009)
- "4th Grade Blogs" (Winter 2010)
- "Trees" (Fall 2010)
- "Ant Picnic" (Spring 2011)
- "Apple" (Fall 2011)
- "Raccoon Crime Scene" (Winter 2012)
- "Hot Dog" (Fall 2012)
- "Reading Comprehension" (Winter 2013)
- "Traveling" (Spring 2013)
- "Your Place or My Parents?" (Spring 2013)
- "Kimmy" (Winter 2014)
- "Email Me" (Winter 2014)
- "GPS Pajamas" (Spring 2014)
- "Peacock Envy" (Winter 2015)
- "Possum Theater" (Spring 2015)
- "Rabbit Pregnancy" (Fall 2015)
- "Eyeliner," in Volume 2016–03, Winter 2016)
- "Can He Say Hi?" (Fall 2016)
- "Cooler" (Winter 2019)
- "Foods That Only Sound Delicious" (Spring 2019)
Lesbian Cattle Dogs (2018–2020)
The following comics were all published to The Believer[35] and Lenny Letter:
- "Adventures of 'Lesbian Cattle Dogs'" (December 27, 2018)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Eat Dinner" (January 11, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Help Ruffles" (February 14, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Discuss a Big Issue" (March 12, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs are Cleared for Marriage by the Supreme Court" (April 4, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Stroll Through Memories" (May 9, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Have a Nice Meat Dinner" (June 26, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs See a Puppy" (July 2, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Discuss Cuddling" (December 11, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Welcome a Houseguest" (December 30, 2019)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs See Adelaide" (January 24, 2020)
- "Lesbian Cattle Dogs Have Tea with Adelaide" (February 24, 2020)
Animals in a Bad Situation (2018–2019)
The following comics were all published to Popula:[36]
- "Sad Yak" (October 25, 2018)
- "My Old, Old Egg" (November 15, 2018)
- "You Only Get Married Once" (November 27, 2018)
- "Guinea Pigs Reach for the Stars" (January 9, 2019)
- "Big Changes" (January 17, 2019)
- "Our Little Talk" (February 19, 2019)
Short stories
- "By the Wayside," published in The Minnesota Review (2009)[37]
- "Contributors," published in The Minnesota Review (2009)[38]
- "Bear With Me," published in Narrative Magazine (2010)[39]
- "Some Form of Kindness," published in The L Magazine (2011)[40]
- "Friendly Crossroads," published in The Masters Review[41]
- "Pioneer," published in The Southern Review (Winter 2014)[42] and reprinted in Chapter House Journal[43]
- "Counselor of My Heart," published in The Southern Review (Winter 2016)[44]
- "Mrs. Sadness," published in Michigan Quarterly Review (Summer 2017)[45]
- "The Battle of the Four Seasons," published in Tin House (Summer 2017)[46]
- "Come On, Come Here, Talk to Me," published in Hunger Mountain Review (March 2019)[47]
- "Laramie Time," published in American Short Stories (November 2020)[48]
- "Rainbow Rainbow," published in The Paris Review (Summer 2021)[49]
- "Goodnight Baby," published in The Baffler (September 2021)[50]
- "Sun Prairie Events," published in Virginia Quarterly Review (Winter 2021)[51]
