Mary Karr was born in Groves, Texas on January 16, 1955. She received an M.F.A. from Goddard College in 1979. Before becoming a poet and memoirist, she held various jobs in the computer and telecommunications industries. Her works include Lit, The Liars' Club, Cherry, and The Art of Memoir. She has also published four volumes of poetry: Abacus, The Devil's Tour, Viper, and Sinners Welcome. She was a Guggenheim Fellow in poetry in 2005 and has won Pushcart prizes for both her poetry and her essays. She was an assistant professor at numerous colleges and universities including Tufts University, Emerson College, Harvard University, and Sarah Lawrence College. She is currently the Peck Professor of English Literature at Syracuse University.