About

EMELINE ATWOOD is the author of the debut novel A Real Animal, published by Catapult in July 2026. The novel received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness; was selected as an American Booksellers Association Indie Next pick and 2026 Indies Introduce title; and has been longlisted for The Center for Fiction 2026 First Novel Prize. The book has been recommended by Vogue, People, TIME, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, LA Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the Chicago Review of Books, among others. Atwood was named one of CULTURED Magazine’s 2026 Young Writers and one of Publishers Weekly’s 2026 Writers to Watch.

Atwood grew up in Milton, Massachusetts. She is a recipient of the Thomas T. Hoopes Prize, the Louis Begley Prize, the Roger Conant Hatch Prize for Lyric Poetry, and the Le Baron Russell Briggs Fiction Prize. She received her MFA in fiction and poetry from the Michener Center for Writers. She lives in Austin, Texas.