Elizabeth McCracken is an American author, born on September 16, 1966. She has achieved significant recognition in the literary world, being a recipient of the PEN New England Award. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and was a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She also holds a degree in library science from Simmons College, a women's college in Boston.

McCracken is the acclaimed author of eight books, including Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry, The Giant's House, Niagara Falls All Over Again, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination, Thunderstruck & Other Stories, Bowlaway, The Souvenir Museum, and The Hero of This Book. Her book Thunderstruck & Other Stories won the 2015 Story Prize.

Throughout her career, Elizabeth has received grants and fellowships from prestigious institutions such as the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the American Academy in Berlin, among others. Her works have been featured in renowned publications, including The Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, The O. Henry Prize, and The New York Times Magazine.

McCracken is married to novelist Edward Carey, with whom she has two children. Her personal experiences have deeply influenced her writing, especially evident in her memoir, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination.

Currently, she is an artist-in-residence in Saratoga Springs, New York, and teaches at the University of Texas at Austin and in the low residency MFA program at Bennington College.