Karen Cushman was born on October 4, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois. She is a renowned American writer known for her historical fiction.

Cushman entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later pursued and earned master's degrees in human behavior and museum studies. For eleven years, she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University, before resigning in 1996 to focus on writing full-time.

She currently resides on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip.