Mary Karr is an American poet, essayist, and memoirist renowned for her influential role in literature. Born on January 16, 1955, in Groves, a small town in East Texas, she is celebrated for her bestselling memoir, The Liars' Club, published in 1995. This memoir was a New York Times bestseller for over a year and is widely recognized for its vivid and humorous exploration of her troubled family life.

Karr serves as the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracuse University. Her work extends to contributions in notable publications like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Poetry, and Parnassus.

Her upbringing in Groves, Texas, was marked by her father's work in an oil refinery and her mother's endeavors as an amateur artist and business owner. These experiences are richly depicted in her memoirs, where she refers to her hometown as "Leechfield."