Lidia Yuknavitch

Lidia Yuknavitch, a writer. She grew up in a family where her father subjected the children to verbal, psychological, and sexual abuse, while her alcoholic mother ignored it. Lidia trained as a swimmer and hoped to make the U.S. Olympic team. The 1980 Olympic boycott and alcohol got in the way. In her books, she explores violence and tragedy; she is inspired by Ken Kesey. Lidia openly says that she is a failure. When she was just over thirty, she decided to become a writer. She had something to say about her ruined swimming career, the “horrible life at home,” and about how “grief and loss can drive you mad.” Lidia was abused, was expelled from college, used drugs, spent time in prison, and was homeless. But the only reason she considers herself a failure is the death of her daughter at birth.