Ling Ma

Born in China’s Fujian Province, Ling Ma grew up in Utah and Kansas and completed her debut novel, Severance, while pursuing an MFA at Cornell University. When asked how the book came together, she said, “The mode of attack was writing whatever scene I was most excited by, whatever felt most urgent at the time, and then piecing those scenes together. I never felt like I was forcing any connections. I trusted that by sheer enthusiasm and a dash of not knowing any better, this Frankenstein’s monster would come alive at the eleventh hour.”