Mary Karr is an American poet, essayist, and memoirist. She rose to fame in 1995 with the publication of her bestselling memoir The Liars' Club. Born on January 16, 1955, in Groves, Texas, she is currently the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracuse University.

Karr is widely noted for her vivid and humorous storytelling, often delving into her deeply troubled upbringing in a small Texas town she refers to in her memoirs as "Leechfield." Her father worked in an oil refinery, while her mother was an amateur artist and business owner.