Nancy Anne Kress, born on January 20, 1948, is a prominent American science fiction writer. She began her writing career in 1976, but it was with her Hugo- and Nebula-winning novella, Beggars in Spain (1991), that she gained significant recognition. This novella was later expanded into a novel in 1993. Kress has continued to garner acclaim, winning the Nebula Award for Best Novella in 2013 with After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, and in 2015 with Yesterday's Kin.

In addition to her novels, Kress has authored numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She frequently participates in Clarion Workshops and was the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig, Germany during the winter of 2008/09.