Beth Kander

Skokie, Illinois

Beth Kander (she/her) is a Chicago-based writer, with tangled roots in the Midwest and Deep South. The granddaughter of immigrants, she loves exploring how worlds old and new can intertwine—or collide. Beth earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan; an MFA in Creative Writing from Mississippi University for Women, where she currently serves as adjunct faculty; and a Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University. Playwriting honors include: T. Jefferson Carey Memorial Playwriting Award (2022); Henry Award for Best New Play or Musical (2020); Headwaters Festival Award (2018); Equity Library Theatre-Chicago (2017); Ashland New Plays Festival (2015, 2016); New Stage Eudora Welty Awards (2008, 2010, 2012); and the Charles M. Getchell New Play Award (2012). She is a founding member of Fondren Theatre Workshop in Mississippi and served for seven seasons as Ashland New Play Festival’s resident playwright. Beth’s debut novel for adults, I MADE IT OUT OF CLAY (Mira/HarperCollins), hits shelves in fall 2024. She is the author of multiple children’s books, including DO NOT EAT THIS BOOK! (Sleeping Bear Press) and GLUBBERY GRAY, THE KNIGHT-EATING BEAST (Pelican Publishing). Her YA dystopian trilogy ORIGINAL SYN won a 2019 Foreword INDIE Award. A proud parent-artist, her favorite characters are her two brave, hilarious kids (for real—they’ve got jokes), and she cheers for parent-artists everywhere. Beth is represented by Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio. For more: www.bethkander.com