Peng Shepherd
{{Short description|Chinese-American fantasy writer}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Peng Shepherd
| image = Peng Shepherd 1018649.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Shepherd at the 2024 National Book Festival
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pseudonym =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|5|12}}{{Cite web | title=x.com | url=https://twitter.com/pengshepherd/status/1513904577824714755?lang=en | access-date=2024-12-31 | website=twitter.com}}
| birth_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
| death_place =
| resting_place =
| occupation = Writer
| language = English
| residence =
| education = {{ublist|Arizona State University (BA)|SOAS University of London (MA)|New York University (MFA)}}
| period =
| genre = Fantasy
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks =
| awards = {{ublist|National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (2020){{cite web|url=https://www.arts.gov/impact/literary-arts/creative-writing-fellows/peng-shepherd|title=Peng Shepherd |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts }}|Neukom Institute for Computational Science Award (2019){{cite web|url=https://sites.dartmouth.edu/neukominstitutelitawards/spec-fic-writers-named-2019-neukom-institute-awards-winners/|title=Spec Fic Writers Named 2019 Neukom Institute Awards Winners |publisher=Neukom Institute literary Arts Award}}}}
| years_active = 2016–present
| module =
| website = {{URL|http://pengshepherd.com}}
| portaldisp =
}}
Peng Shepherd (born May 12, 1986) is an American author. Her first novel, The Book of M, was released in 2018, followed by The Future Library in 2021 and The Cartographers in 2022. She is a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow.
Early life and education
Peng Shepherd was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona,{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/peng-shepherd-880000055325 |title=Peng Shepherd |publisher=Harper Collins Publishers }} a daughter of Lin Sue Cooney, a retired news anchor at Phoenix TV station KPNX.{{cite web|url=https://az-lifestyle.com/archives/11620 |title=Peng Shepherd Debuts Her First Novel |publisher=Arizona Lifestyles }} Peng earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature from Arizona State University in 2006. Peng then completed an MA in International Studies and Diplomacy and Chinese Language at the SOAS University of London in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://frontdoorsmedia.com/homepage-side-by-side-feature/peng-shepherd-debuts-first-novel/ |title=Peng Shepherd Debuts First Novel |date=30 May 2018 |publisher=Frontdoor Media }} From New York University, she received her MFA in Creative Writing in 2014, where she was a Stein Fellow and a Veterans Fellow, in 2013 and 2014, respectively.{{cite web |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a32215635/pandemic-novel-author-coronavirus/ |title=Peng Shepherd Predicted a Pandemic In Her Novel The Book of M. Now, She's Living Through One |date=2020-05-11 |last=Nicolaou |first=Elena |publisher=Oprah Daily |access-date=2022-06-24 |archive-date=2022-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624141424/https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a32215635/pandemic-novel-author-coronavirus/ |url-status=live }}
Literary career
Her debut novel, The Book of M, a dystopian fantasy, was published by HarperCollins in 2018, and received mainly favorable reviews. Per The Hollywood Reporter, The Book of M was optioned for screen adaptation on television by Elizabeth Sarnoff from Universal Content Productions.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/liz-sarnoff-options-book-m-tv-1187448/ |title=Liz Sarnoff Options 'The Book of M' for TV (Exclusive) |date=2019-02-18|last=Goldberg|first=Lesley |publisher=The Hollywood Reporter}}{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/07/25/dont-miss-these-terrific-fiction-debuts-four-asian-american-women/794002002/|title=Four terrific fiction debuts by Asian-American women not to miss|publisher=USA Today|access-date=2022-06-25|archive-date=2022-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625130526/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/07/25/dont-miss-these-terrific-fiction-debuts-four-asian-american-women/794002002/|url-status=live}}
Her other works have been noted and reviewed by various publications and literary critics, including The Washington Post,{{cite news |last=Shaw |first=Vivian |date=2022-03-24 |title=The Cartographers' is one of those brilliant books you have to read twice |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2022/03/24/cartographers-peng-shepherd-book-review/}} Kirkus Reviews,{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/peng-shepherd/the-cartographers/ |title=The Cartographers |publisher=Kirkus Reviews }} Associated Press,{{cite web |last=Show |first=Anita |date=2022-03-16 |title=Review: 'The Cartographers' explores land of math and magic |url=https://apnews.com/article/science-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-book-reviews-mathematics-0ab161761cc1a7ff0f2170705103a783 |publisher=Associated Press News |access-date=2022-06-24 |archive-date=2022-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624145212/https://apnews.com/article/science-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-book-reviews-mathematics-0ab161761cc1a7ff0f2170705103a783 |url-status=live }} The Wall Street Journal,{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mysteries-book-reviews-nine-lives-cartographers-tell-me-an-ending-pleasure-of-a-puzzling-tale-11648217151?mod=opinion_major_pos12|title=Mysteries: The Pleasure of a Puzzling Tale|date=2022-03-25|last=Nolan|first=Tom|publisher=The Wall Street Journal }} Sun Sentinel,{{cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/theater-and-arts/books/fl-et-the-cartographers-book-review-20220323-on6yb3git5h2fm3o4n4hgp2w5u-story.html |title=Book review: Old maps and new technology propel a labyrinthine plot in 'The Cartographers' |date=2022-03-23|last= H. Cogdill|first=Oline |publisher=Sun Sentinel }} The Guardian,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jun/08/the-best-recent-science-fiction-eric-brown |title=The best recent science fiction – reviews roundup |date=2018-06-08|last= Brown|first=Eric |work=The Guardian }} and Chicago Tribune,{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/sc-books-science-fiction-roundup-0606-story.html |title=Spies meet ghosts in wildly inventive 'Summerland,' plus more sci-fi reviews |date=2018-06-05 |last=K. Wolfe |first=Gary |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=2022-06-27 |archive-date=2023-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204053653/https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/sc-books-science-fiction-roundup-0606-story.html |url-status=live }} among others.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/20/1087766132/a-cheap-gas-station-map-may-be-the-key-to-solving-a-murder-in-the-cartographers |title=A cheap gas station map may be the key to solving a murder in 'The Cartographers' |date=2022-03-20|last= Nadworny|first=Elissa |publisher=NPR }}{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/home/best-selling-author-brad-thor-s-summer-reading-list-t132338 |title=12 must-read books for summer, according to three best-selling authors |date=2018-07-03|last= Holland|first=Kate |publisher=Today.com }}{{cite web|url= https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/the-cartographers-2135793|title=The Cartographers |publisher=Library Journal }}{{cite web|url= https://www.bustle.com/p/the-book-of-m-by-peng-shepherd-is-a-powerful-post-apocalyptic-masterpiece-about-the-power-of-memory-9273325|title=This Novel Is A Terrifying Look At What Happens When Everyone Loses All Their Memories |date=2018-06-07|last= Trombetta|first=Sadie |publisher=Bustle }} Vivian Shaw, the editor from the Washington Post, wrote about The Cartographers in her book review:
"Shepherd, also the author of “The Book of M”, nails the sense of deep-seated, profound connection and love between a small group of people drawn together by shared experience and interest, creating an intense familial bond."Shepherd is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (2020) and the 2019 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for "Debut Speculative Fiction" from the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth College. Her books have been translated to French, Polish, Czech, and Turkish, with the translation right sold in Chinese, Arabic, Dutch and Danish.{{cite web |url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/peng-shepherd/work/the-book-of-m |title=The Book of M - Translations |publisher=Curtis Brown |access-date=2022-06-28 |archive-date=2022-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628124620/https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/peng-shepherd/work/the-book-of-m |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/peng-shepherd/work/the-cartographers |title=The Cartographers |publisher=Curtis Brown |access-date=2022-06-28 |archive-date=2022-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628125436/https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/peng-shepherd/work/the-cartographers |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.albin-michel-imaginaire.fr/peng-shepherd-les-cartographes/ |title=Peng Shepherd: Les Cartographes |date=4 May 2022 |publisher=Editions Albin Michel }}
Award
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Award !Category !Place !Ref |
| 2018
|The Book of M |Fantasy |{{Nom|Nominated - 11}} | |
|---|
| rowspan="5" |2022
| rowspan="4" |The Future Library |{{Nom|Nominations Below Cutoff}} | |
| Ignyte Award
|Best Novelette |{{Won}} | |
| Locus Award
|{{Nom|Nominated - 17}} | |
| Utopia
|Utopian Novelette |{{Nom}} | |
| The Cartographers
|{{Sho}} | |
Bibliography
- The Book of M (June 2018), ISBN 9780008225629.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0JDDwAAQBAJ|title= The Book of M |date= June 2018 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |isbn= 9780008225629}}{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/07/25/dont-miss-these-terrific-fiction-debuts-four-asian-american-women/794002002/ |title=Four terrific fiction debuts by Asian-American women not to miss |publisher=USA Today |access-date=2022-06-25 |archive-date=2022-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625130526/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/07/25/dont-miss-these-terrific-fiction-debuts-four-asian-american-women/794002002/ |url-status=live }}
- The Future Library (August 2021), ISBN 9781250828675.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5vc4EAAAQBAJ|title=The Future Library |date=August 2021 |publisher=Tom Doherty Associates |isbn=9781250828675 }}
- The Cartographers (March 2022), ISBN 9780062910721.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y_73DwAAQBAJ |title= The Cartographers |date=March 2022 |publisher= HarperCollins |isbn=9780062910721 }}{{cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2022/03/15/book-reviews-the-cartographers-by-peng-shepherd/ |title=Dark Academia and Map Making: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd |date=15 March 2022 |publisher=Tor.com }}{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25333770-700-the-cartographers-review-a-perceptive-sci-fi-love-letter-to-maps/ |title=The Cartographers review: A perceptive sci-fi love letter to maps |date=2022-03-09|last=Adee|first= Sally|publisher=New Scientist }}
- All This and More (2024), {{ISBN|9780063278974}}
Translations
- Polish: Księga M (The Book of M).{{cite web|url=https://lubimyczytac.pl/ksiazka/4880447/ksiega-m |title=Księga M|publisher=Burda Publishing Polska }}
- Czech: Kniha M (The Book of M).{{cite web|url=https://www.databazeknih.cz/knihy/kniha-m-415266 |title=Kniha M |publisher=DataBase Knih }}
- Turkish: The Book of M: Kıyamet Başlıyor.{{cite web|url=https://www.ephesusyayinlari.com/the-book-of-m-ciltsiz |title=The Book of M |publisher=Ephesus Publications }}
- French: Le Livre de M.{{cite web |url=https://www.babelio.com/livres/Shepherd-Le-Livre-de-M/1231403 |title=Le Livre de M' |publisher=Editions Albin Michel |access-date=2022-06-29 |archive-date=2022-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629094652/https://www.babelio.com/livres/Shepherd-Le-Livre-de-M/1231403 |url-status=live }}
- Danish: Kartograferne.{{cite web|url=https://www.gyldendal.dk/produkter/kartograferne-9788702384543 |title=Kartograferne' |publisher=Gyldendal }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://pengshepherd.com Official website]
- [https://www.arts.gov/impact/literary-arts/creative-writing-fellows/peng-shepherd Profile] at NEA
- {{ISFDB name|name=Peng Shepherd}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Peng}}
Category:21st-century American novelists
Category:21st-century American women writers
Category:American women science fiction and fantasy writers
Category:Chinese-American literature
Category:New York University alumni
Category:Alumni of SOAS University of London