Allison Amend
A novelist whose sharp, often darkly funny stories explore the messy collisions of identity, faith, and belonging in modern America.
Born 1974 (age 52)·American novelist and short story writer·Birthday: May 20·Generation X
Biography
Allison Amend, born in Chicago and raised in its northern suburbs, carved a path in literature defined by intellectual curiosity and a keen eye for human contradiction. She studied at Stanford and the University of Iowa's prestigious Writers' Workshop, environments that honed her precise, character-driven prose. Her work, which includes novels like 'A Nearly Perfect Copy' and the story collection 'The Planet on the Table,' frequently grapples with themes of displacement and the search for authenticity, whether in the art world or within fractured families. Amend's writing is unafraid of uncomfortable truths, weaving together humor and pathos to examine how people construct their lives amidst societal and personal pressures. As a teacher at institutions like the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop, she has also influenced a new generation of writers, championing the power of nuanced, empathetic storytelling.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Allison was born in 1974, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Allison Was Born
The biggest hits of 1974
#1 Movie
The Towering Inferno
Best Picture
The Godfather Part II
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Allison's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1974Born
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1979Started school
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1987Became a teenager
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Could drive
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1992Could vote
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1995Turned 21
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2004Turned 30
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 40
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 50
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 52 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Her novel 'Enchanted Islands' was named a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice.
- She received a Fulbright Fellowship to Northern Ireland to support her writing.
- Her short story collection 'Things That Pass for Love' won the GLCA New Writers Award.
- She was a finalist for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature for her novel 'Stations West'.
Did You Know?
She is a twin.
She once worked as a fact-checker for The New Yorker magazine.
She has taught creative writing on a transatlantic voyage aboard a container ship.
“I'm interested in the stories we tell ourselves to get through the day.”
