“A collection is, by my lights, a chance to build a universe, an overarching ecosystem. But it's common enough to encounter a hodgepodge instead, where flashes of brilliance are undercut by clunkers.”

American fiction writer

Laura van den Berg is an American fiction writer, known for five works of fiction. Her first two collections of short stories were both shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, in 2010 and 2014. Her work has drawn recognition from major literary institutions. In 2021, she received the Strauss Livings Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters and a Guggenheim Fellowship.