Olympia Vernon facts for kids

Olympia Vernon, born on May 22, 1973, is an American writer. She has written three novels: Eden (published in 2002), Logic (published in 2004), and A Killing In This Town (published in 2006). Her book Eden received a special award in 2004 from The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

About Olympia Vernon

Early Life and Education

Olympia Vernon was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana. She grew up in Mount Hermon, Louisiana, and Osyka, Mississippi. She was one of seven children in her family. Her father, Fletcher Williams, Jr., went to the University of Mississippi.

Olympia Vernon attended South Pike High School in Magnolia, Mississippi. She later studied at Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU). In 1999, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice. She continued her studies at Louisiana State University. There, she received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing in 2002.

Writing Career and Awards

Olympia Vernon wrote her first novel, Eden, while she was in graduate school. In 2004, she became a writer-in-residence at Southeastern Louisiana University. This means she was a special writer who worked and taught at the university.

In 2005, she received the Louisiana Governor's Award. This award recognized her as the Professional Artist of the Year. From 2007 to 2008, Vernon held a special writing position at Willamette University. In 2007, she won the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence for her novel A Killing In This Town.