Mary Karr facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Karr
Karr speaking at the St. Louis County Library on September 8, 2016
Born	(1955-01-16) January 16, 1955 (age 70) Groves, Texas
Nationality	American
Occupation	Poet Essayist Memoirist
Years active	1987–present
Notable work	The Liars' Club

Mary Karr (born January 16, 1955) is an American writer. She is known for her poetry, essays, and especially her memoirs. A memoir is a type of book where an author writes about their own life experiences. Mary Karr's book The Liars' Club, published in 1995, became a bestseller. Today, she is a professor of English Literature at Syracuse University.

Early Life and Education

Mary Karr was born in Groves, Texas, on January 16, 1955. She lived there until 1972 when she moved to Los Angeles. Growing up, her parents faced personal struggles. Mary attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, for two years. There, she met the poet Etheridge Knight, who became one of her important teachers.

After a break from school, during which she participated in the Anti-Apartheid Movement, Karr went to Goddard College. She earned a special degree in fine arts from Goddard.

Mary Karr's Writing Career

Writing Personal Stories: Memoirs

Mary Karr's memoir, The Liars' Club, came out in 1995. This book was very popular and stayed on New York Times bestseller lists for over a year. It was also named one of the best books of that year. The book shares stories from her childhood in Southeast Texas during the 1960s.

Her friend, writer Tobias Wolff, encouraged her to write about her life. Karr later wrote a second memoir called Cherry (2000). This book covers her teenage years and early adulthood.

Karr's third memoir, Lit: A Memoir, was published in 2009. In this book, she describes her journey from a challenging period in her life to finding comfort in the Catholic faith. She calls herself a "cafeteria Catholic," meaning she agrees with some parts of the faith but not all.

Exploring Poetry: Her Collections

Mary Karr has received several awards for her poetry. She won a Whiting Award in 1989. In 2005, she was a Guggenheim Fellow for poetry. She has also won Pushcart prizes for both her poems and essays.

Karr has published five books of poetry:

• Abacus (1987)
• The Devil's Tour (1993)
• Viper Rum (1998)
• Sinners Welcome (2006)
• Tropic of Squalor (2018)

Her poems have appeared in well-known literary magazines like Poetry, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic Monthly.

Understanding Karr's Essays

One of Karr's award-winning essays is "Against Decoration." It was first published in 1991 and later included in her book Viper Rum. In this essay, Karr argues that writers should focus on clear meaning and honest emotions rather than overly fancy language. She believes that writing should be easy to understand and that complex words or long sentences can sometimes make it harder for readers to connect with the message.

Another essay, "Facing Altars: Poetry and Prayer," appeared in Poetry magazine in 2005. In this piece, Karr writes about her personal journey to becoming a Catholic. She explains how she believes that poetry and prayer come from similar deep places within us.

Other Contributions

In 2015, Mary Karr was the main speaker at Syracuse University's graduation ceremony.

Mary Karr's Personal Life

Mary Karr was married to poet Michael Milburn for 13 years. After their divorce, she had a relationship with author David Foster Wallace.

Mary Karr became a Catholic, but she holds some beliefs that differ from traditional Catholic teachings, like supporting equal roles for women. She has said that she has been a feminist since she was 12 years old. A feminist is someone who believes in equal rights and opportunities for all genders.

Awards and Honors

• 1989 Whiting Award
• 1995 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for The Liars' Club
• 2004 Guggenheim Fellowship

Mary Karr's Published Works

Memoirs

• The Liars' Club, Viking Adult; (1995) ISBN: 0-670-85053-5
• Cherry: A Memoir, Penguin Books; Reissue edition (2001) ISBN: 0-14-100207-7
• Lit: A Memoir, HarperCollins; (2009) ISBN: 0-060-596996

Poetry

• Abacus, Wesleyan (1987)
• The Devil's Tour, New Directions (1993) ISBN: 0-8112-1231-9
• Viper Rum, Penguin (2001) ISBN: 0-14-200018-3
• Sinners Welcome, HarperCollins (2006) ISBN: 0-06-077654-4
• Tropic of Squalor, HarperCollins (2018) ISBN: 0-06-2699822

Stories

• "Learner's Permit" (excerpt from Cherry). Nerve, w/o date.

Non-Fiction

• The Art of Memoir, Harper; (2015) ISBN: 0-062-22306-2

See also

In Spanish: Mary Karr para niños