Laura Anne Kalpakian (born June 28, 1945) is an American author. She has also published under the pen names Juliet Fitzgerald[1] and Carenna Jane Greye. She is known for her work in the memoir genre.

Life and career

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Kalpakian was born in Long Beach, California, the daughter of Peggy (Kalpakian), a secretary, and William Johnson, a technical representative.[2][3] She grew up in southern California. She earned her undergraduate degree from University of California, Riverside in 1967. After starting her career as a social worker, she earned a master's degree from the University of Delaware in 1970. She earned a Ph.D. in literature from the University of California, San Diego in 1977.

She has received funding from the National Endowment of the Arts and has won a Pushcart Prize, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, and the first Anahid Literary Award for an American writer of Armenian descent.[4][5]

Kalpakian's 1992 novel Graced Land was adapted into the TV movie The Woman Who Loved Elvis, directed by Bill Bixby and starring Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold.[6]

Her sons are composer Bear McCreary and singer/musician Brendan McCreary.

Selected works

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As Laura Kalpakian
  • The Great Pretenders (Penguin Group, 2019), ISBN 9781101990186 [7]
  • American Cookery (St. Martin's Griffin, 2007)
  • The Memoir Club (St. Martin's Griffin, 2005)
  • Educating Waverly (William Morrow, 2002)
  • The Delinquent Virgin (Graywolf Press, 1999)
  • Steps and Exes: a novel of family (Bard, 1999)
  • Caveat (John F. Blair, 1998)
  • Cosette: the sequel to Les Misérables (HarperCollins, 1995)
  • Graced Land (Grove Weidenfeld, 1992)
  • Dark Continent and Other Stories (Viking, 1989)
  • Crescendo (Random House, 1987)
  • The Swallow Inheritance (Headline, 1987)
  • Fair Augusto and Other Stories (Graywolf Press, 1986)
  • These Latter Days (Times Books, 1985)
  • Beggars and Choosers (Little, Brown, 1978)
As Juliet Jackson
  • Belle Haven (Viking, 1990)
As Carenna Jane Greye
  • Tiger Hill (Piatkus Books, 1985)

References

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  1. ^ Pilcer, Sonia (December 2, 1990). Fiction. (review of Belle Haven). Los Angeles Times
  2. ^ Locher, Frances Carol; Evory, Ann (1979). Contemporary Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Guide to Current Authors and Their Works. Ed. Frances Carol Locher. Gale Research International, Limited. ISBN 9780810300460.
  3. ^ Kalpakian, Laura. ""I'd like to thank….."". Goodreads.
  4. ^ Polk, James (November 11, 1990). In short: Fiction. New York Times
  5. ^ Staff report (September 19, 1999). Booksellers trade show comes to Spokane. Spokane Spokesman-Review
  6. ^ Wilson, Margo (18 April 1993). "San Bernadino's Elvis shrine will shake up TV tonight". The San Bernadino County Sun. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  7. ^ "The Great Pretenders by Laura Kalpakian: 9781101990186 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com.
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