Kim Fu, a Canadian author of Chinese descent, is known for her novels, poetry, and short stories. Her latest acclaimed work, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century (2022), has garnered numerous awards, including the Washington State Book Award, the Pacific Northwest Book Award, and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. This collection has also been a finalist for prestigious accolades like the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Shirley Jackson Awards.
Kim Fu was born in Vancouver to Hong Kong immigrant parents. Fu studied creative writing at the University of British Columbia. Her debut novel, For Today I Am a Boy (2014), received critical acclaim, winning the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and the Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writer Award. It was also a finalist for several other awards, including the PEN/Hemingway Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore (2018), Fu's second novel, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award. She has also contributed significantly to poetry with her collection How Festive the Ambulance, which explores the vibrancy and tragedies of modern life.
The Atlantic, New York Times, and Granta have featured her work. She is also deeply involved in teaching and mentoring, holding residencies at various esteemed institutions.
Her latest work, Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century, is a mesmerizing collection of twelve tales that blur the line between reality and fantasy. Fu's stories, ranging from a girl growing wings to encounters with sea monsters, create worlds where the bizarre becomes familiar, and the familiar, bizarre.
Fu identifies as agender and pansexual. She resides in Seattle, Washington.
Photo credit: kim-fu.com