PRESS KIT
Permission is granted to freely use the following photograph for promotional or press purposes. Photograph credit goes to Caulene Hudson-Pace.
Name: J.R. Dawson
Pronouns: She/They
Degrees: BFA in Playwriting and English Literature (DePaul University, 2010), MS in Secondary Education (University of Nebraska Omaha, 2013), MFA in Popular Fiction (Stonecoast, 2016)
Instagram: @jrdawsonwriter
Website: www.jrdawsonwriter.com
Represented by Stevie Finegan with Zeno Literary Agency
Pronouns: She/They
Degrees: BFA in Playwriting and English Literature (DePaul University, 2010), MS in Secondary Education (University of Nebraska Omaha, 2013), MFA in Popular Fiction (Stonecoast, 2016)
Instagram: @jrdawsonwriter
Website: www.jrdawsonwriter.com
Represented by Stevie Finegan with Zeno Literary Agency
Bios of varying length
Short
Dawson's debut, The First Bright Thing, is a Golden Crown award winner. She is a Nebula and Hugo finalist for her short story, "Six People to Revise You." Her most recent book is The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com .
A Little Longer
Dawson is a Golden Crown award-winning writer with Nebula and Hugo-nominated short fiction in places such as Uncanny, Reactor, Lightspeed, F&SF and others. Living on Dakota land in Minnesota with her loving wife and chaotic dogs, Dawson is a professor at Drexel's MFA program. Her second novel, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, won Best Novel for the Society of Midland Authors. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com.
And Longer Still
J.R. Dawson (she/they) is a Nebula, Hugo, and Sturgeon finalist and the Golden Crown award-winning author of The First Bright Thing. They have had shorter works in places such as Reactor, F&SF, Lightspeed, Sunday Morning Transport, and Uncanny. Dawson currently lives on Dakota land in Minnesota with her loving wife. She teaches at Drexel University’s MFA program for creative writing, and fills her free time with keeping her chaotic dogs out of trouble. Her latest book, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, is a sapphic Orpheus retelling that won the 2026 Award for Society of Midland Authors and a Golden Crown. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com .
Dawson's debut, The First Bright Thing, is a Golden Crown award winner. She is a Nebula and Hugo finalist for her short story, "Six People to Revise You." Her most recent book is The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com .
A Little Longer
Dawson is a Golden Crown award-winning writer with Nebula and Hugo-nominated short fiction in places such as Uncanny, Reactor, Lightspeed, F&SF and others. Living on Dakota land in Minnesota with her loving wife and chaotic dogs, Dawson is a professor at Drexel's MFA program. Her second novel, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, won Best Novel for the Society of Midland Authors. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com.
And Longer Still
J.R. Dawson (she/they) is a Nebula, Hugo, and Sturgeon finalist and the Golden Crown award-winning author of The First Bright Thing. They have had shorter works in places such as Reactor, F&SF, Lightspeed, Sunday Morning Transport, and Uncanny. Dawson currently lives on Dakota land in Minnesota with her loving wife. She teaches at Drexel University’s MFA program for creative writing, and fills her free time with keeping her chaotic dogs out of trouble. Her latest book, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, is a sapphic Orpheus retelling that won the 2026 Award for Society of Midland Authors and a Golden Crown. Visit her at www.jrdawsonwriter.com .