Amy Hempel

American writer · United States · On the map · Writers · Born 1951 · age 74

Amy Hempel is an American short story writer and journalist. She teaches creative writing at the Michener Center for Writers.

Amy Hempel is read about 54 times a day, in 15 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 7 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 120 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2009PEN/Malamud AwardAward2006“When my mother died, my father's early widowhood gave him social cachet he would not have had if they had divorced. He was a bigger catch for the sorrow attached.”In their wordsThe Collected Stories of Amy Hempel, (2006)Read the whole statement

“I think of the chimp, the one with the talking hands. In the course of the experiment, that chimp had a baby.”In their wordsThe Collected Stories of Amy Hempel, (2006)Read the whole statement

2000Guggenheim FellowshipAward1985“She introduces me to a nurse as the Best Friend. The impersonal article is more intimate. It tells me that they are intimate, the nurse and my friend.”In their wordsReasons to Live (1985)Read the whole statement

1951Born14 December 1951

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In their own words 3

Amy Hempel

3 statements, newest first

Maybe this is not a come-down-from-the-ledge story.
The Man in Bogota, Own words
There is no friction here. It's a kind and buoyant place. What you forget, living here, is that just because you have stopped sinking doesn't mean you're not still underwater.
Tonight is a Favor to Holly in Collected stories of Amy Hempel, Own words
Her ex stops by when he's in town and we pretend he's welcome. The two of them, Holly and this ex of hers, sit around and depress each other.
Tonight is a Favor to Holly in Collected stories of Amy Hempel, Own words