Karyn Bosnak
{{Short description|American author}}
{{Infobox writer
|image =
|
| name = Karyn Bosnak
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1972|9|24|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Novelist
| education = University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Columbia College Chicago (BA)
| period =
| genre =Nonfiction
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks =Save Karyn (2003), 20 Times a Lady (2006)
| influenced =
| website = {{URL|http://www.karynbosnak.com/}}
}}
Karyn E. Bosnak (born September 24, 1972) is an American author of two published books: Save Karyn and 20 Times a Lady, the latter of which became the movie "What's Your Number?" starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans.
Early life and career
Karyn Bosnak was born in Chicago, Illinois. After briefly attending the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College Chicago in 1996.{{cite web |url=http://cms.colum.edu/demo/2007/09/new_books_by_columbia_faculty.php |title=Columbia College Chicago : 20 Times a Lady |accessdate=2011-07-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609203706/http://cms.colum.edu/demo/2007/09/new_books_by_columbia_faculty.php |archivedate=2011-06-09 }} She currently resides in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Cobble Hill.{{cite web |url=http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/330 |title=Save Karyn's Pooch Has Happy Birthday | Cobble Hill Blog |accessdate=2011-07-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100927143145/http://cobblehillblog.com/archives/330 |archivedate=2010-09-27 }}
Books
=''Save Karyn'' (2003)=
{{Main|Save Karyn}}
After spending much of her early career as a daytime television talk-show producer, Bosnak moved from Chicago to New York in 2000. After quickly running up $20,000 of shopping-induced credit card debt, Bosnak lost her job and found herself unable to pay it back. In June 2002, she started savekaryn.com, a humorous albeit controversial website on which she brazenly asked strangers to help pay it off. The website garnered international media attention and worked; Bosnak paid off her debt in twenty weeks.
In 2003, Bosnak chronicled her struggles with debt in the memoir Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back. It was published in the United States by HarperCollins and is now available in over ten languages around the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.prettyinthecity.com/save-karyn/|title=Save Karyn: One Shopaholic's Journey to Debt and Back|website=Karyn Bosnak|accessdate=5 August 2017}}
Bosnak has since donated the same amount of money she received from people to charity.{{cite web|url=http://www.prettyinthecity.com/about/|title=About|website=Karyn Bosnak|accessdate=5 August 2017}}
=''20 Times a Lady'' (2006)=
With the success of her first book, Bosnak abandoned the television industry altogether and began writing full-time. In 2006, her first novel, 20 Times a Lady, was published in the United States by HarperCollins. It served as the basis for the feature film What's Your Number? starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans. On September 6, 2011, the book was re-issued under the title What's Your Number?.{{cite book|title=What's Your Number?: A Novel|first=Karyn|last=Bosnak|date=6 September 2011|publisher=William Morrow Paperbacks|isbn=978-0062062628}}
Media
Bosnak has appeared as a guest on numerous radio and television shows including The Today Show and 20/20. Articles about her have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world including The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, People, and Time.{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=187164290053|title=Karyn Bosnak|website=www.facebook.com|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2791537&page=1|title=Cyberbegging: Asking the Public to Pay the Bills|date=1 February 2007|website=ABC News|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/28/nyregion/28KARY.html|title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: NEW YORK ONLINE; Pardon Me, but Could You Help A Girl Down on Her Luck?|first=Rachel|last=Sklar|newspaper=The New York Times |date=28 July 2002|publisher=|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/notablesites/2002-11-11-save-karyn_x.htm|title=USATODAY.com - SaveKaryn saves Prada-lover from the poorhouse|website=www.usatoday.com|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/390229211.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+31,+2003&author=Michelle+Singletary&pub=The+Washington+Post&edition=&startpage=F.01&desc=Hate+Her?+Pity+Her?+Learn+From+Her.|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719080752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/390229211.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+31,+2003&author=Michelle+Singletary&pub=The+Washington+Post&edition=&startpage=F.01&desc=Hate+Her%3F+Pity+Her%3F+Learn+From+Her.|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 19, 2012|title=Hate Her? Pity Her? Learn From Her.|website=pqasb.pqarchiver.com|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20138105,00.html|title=Somenerve.com – Vol. 58 No. 14|date=30 September 2002|publisher=|accessdate=5 August 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003862,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101022110103/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003862,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2010|title=Panhandling.com|first=Harriet|last=Barovick|date=9 December 2002|publisher=|accessdate=5 August 2017|via=www.time.com}}
In 2002, The New York Times Magazine included Bosnak's "Save Karyn" website in their annual "Year in Ideas" list.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/15/magazine/the-year-in-ideas-open-source-begging.html|title=The Year in Ideas; Open-Source Begging|first=Clive|last=Thompson|newspaper=The New York Times |date=15 December 2002|publisher=|accessdate=5 August 2017}}
In 2007, VH1 ranked Bosnak as #31 on their list of the "40 Greatest Internet Superstars."{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/137773/karyn-bosnak-internet-beggar.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210095336/http://www.vh1.com/video/misc/137773/karyn-bosnak-internet-beggar.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 10, 2010|title=Karyn Bosnak- Internet Beggar - The Greatest - VH1|website=VH1|accessdate=5 August 2017}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.prettyinthecity.com Author's Official Website]
- {{IMDb name|1271341}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130331175220/http://harpercollins.com/authors/26297/Karyn_Bosnak/index.aspx Karyn Bosnak's Author Page at HarperCollins]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bosnak, Karyn}}
Category:21st-century American novelists
Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:American women novelists
Category:American chick lit writers
Category:American women non-fiction writers
Category:Columbia College Chicago alumni
Category:Novelists from Illinois
Category:People from Cobble Hill, Brooklyn