Rilla askew biography

American novelist and short story writer

Rilla Askew (born 1951) is an American novelist and short story writer who was born in Poteau, in the Sans Bois Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, and grew up in the town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.^[1]

Early life and education

Askew graduated from the University of Tulsa with a BFA in Theatre Performance in 1980.

She moved then to New York where she studied acting at HB Studio with Herbert Bergoff in New York and later Curt Dempster at Ensemble Studio Theatre.^[2] She began writing—plays first, then fiction—with her theatre background supporting the use of language and rhythm in her works.^[2] She went on to study creative writing at Brooklyn College, where she received her MFA in 1989.^[3]

Rilla has taught in MFA writing programs at Syracuse University, Brooklyn College, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.^[4]

Askew is married to actor