Karen Joy Fowler is a renowned American author known for her works in science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her writing often explores themes related to the nineteenth century, the lives of women, and social alienation.

She gained widespread recognition for her best-selling novel, The Jane Austen Book Club (2004), which was adapted into a movie. Her debut novel, Sarah Canary, won the Commonwealth medal for best first novel by a Californian and was shortlisted for the Irish Times International Fiction Prize and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Prize. Another notable work, Sister Noon, was a finalist for the 2001 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction.

Fowler has also made significant contributions to short fiction. Her collection Black Glass won the World Fantasy Award in 1999, and What I Didn’t See won the same award in 2011. She has seven novels and three short story collections to her name, with several of her works being recognized as Notable Books by the New York Times.