Michelle Huneven
Encyclopedia
Michelle Huneven is a Californian novelist and journalist. Huneven was born and raised in Altadena, California
, where she returned to live in 2001. She received an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa
.
neighborhood of Los Angeles, where three struggling souls: a Unitarian
minister, a descendant of William James
and an erstwhile chef, help each other learn to get by. Both novels were designated "Notable Books of the Year" by the New York Times.
Her third novel Blame (2009) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. It portrays the journey of a young history professor after accidentally killing two people while driving drunk.
Huneven's short fiction has been published in Harpers, Redbook, and literary magazines. She received a Whiting Writers' Award
in 2002.
and several American Food Journalists awards.
Huneven co-authored wrote the Tao Gals’ Guide to Real Estate (Bloomsbury 2006), a combination narrative and guidebook for women purchasing homes. Her essays have appeared in the following anthologies: Horse People, Dog is My Co-Pilot, The Knitter's Gift, Death by Pad Thai, and Mr. Wrong.
She teaches creative writing at UCLA
and at Occidental College
.
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
, where she returned to live in 2001. She received an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
Fiction
Huneven’s novels explore related themes of recovery and maturation. Her first novel, Round Rock (Knopf 1997), follows a graduate student’s reluctant path to sobriety at a drunk farm in rural California. Jamesland (Knopf 2003) is set in the Los FelizLos Feliz, Los Angeles, California
Los Feliz, also Rancho Los Feliz is an affluent, hilly neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, named after its land grantee José Vicente Feliz....
neighborhood of Los Angeles, where three struggling souls: a Unitarian
Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a religion characterized by support for a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather, they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth and by the understanding that an individual's theology is a...
minister, a descendant of William James
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
and an erstwhile chef, help each other learn to get by. Both novels were designated "Notable Books of the Year" by the New York Times.
Her third novel Blame (2009) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. It portrays the journey of a young history professor after accidentally killing two people while driving drunk.
Huneven's short fiction has been published in Harpers, Redbook, and literary magazines. She received a Whiting Writers' Award
Whiting Writers' Award
The Whiting Writers' Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation and has been presented since 1985. As of 2007, winners receive US $50,000.-External links:**...
in 2002.
Food writing and other nonfiction
Huneven has worked as a restaurant critic and food writer for the LA Weekly and the LA Times. Her food journalism has also been published in the New York Times, O, Gourmet, Food and Wine, and other publications. She won the 1995 award for Newspaper Feature Writing from the James Beard FoundationJames Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
and several American Food Journalists awards.
Huneven co-authored wrote the Tao Gals’ Guide to Real Estate (Bloomsbury 2006), a combination narrative and guidebook for women purchasing homes. Her essays have appeared in the following anthologies: Horse People, Dog is My Co-Pilot, The Knitter's Gift, Death by Pad Thai, and Mr. Wrong.
She teaches creative writing at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
and at Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
.
Further reading
- Penelope Green, “Our Equity, Ourselves”, New York Times, January 26, 2006
- Bernadette Murphy, “Life’s answers: Is religion in the mix?”, Los Angeles Times, September 21, 2003
- "Michelle Huneven", Random House Website
- "Interview: Michelle Huneven", The LAist, 7 Mar 2005