Robin Becker
M.F.A.
Associate Professor | Creative Writing
207G Armstrong Hall
(507) 389-2350
robin.becker@mnsu.edu
Education
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Louisiana State University
- B.A. in English from the University of Texas, Austin
Biography
Robin Becker was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, but left soon after high school. She’s lived in London, Philadelphia, a traveling VW Microbus, Austin, San Francisco, Baton Rouge, Missouri, Arkansas, and now Mankato. Her first novel, Brains: A Zombie Memoir, was published by HarperCollins, and her second Dear Connie by Cemetery Dance. She’s received artist grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Arkansas Arts Council. She currently directs the Good Thunder Reading Series and hosts the Good Thunder Pod, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Books
- Dear Connie, Cemetery Dance, Fall 2026.
- Brains: A Zombie Memoir. HarperCollins, Eos (now Voyager) imprint. Spring 2010.
Recent Publications
- “Lolita and the Napalm Bomb,” Half and One, Sept 2025.
- “The Stranger,” Forge Literary Magazine, Dec 2024.
- “Circle Jerks,” Cutleaf Journal, Issue 4.22, Nov 2024.
- “Rescue, Rehabilitate, Release,” Cimarron Review, Spring 2020.
Recent Awards
- Finalist. Exit 18W. Big Moose Prize. Black Lawrence Press. 2026.
- Residency. The Anderson Center Winter Retreat. Red Wing, MN, Jan 2025.
- Recipient. Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Individuals Grant, 2025.
- Pushcart Prize Nomination for “Circle Jerks,” Dec 2024.
- Longlisted for the Granum Foundation Literary Prize, Exit 18W. Fall 2024.
- Finalist. Exit 18W. UNO Press Publishing Lab Prize, Fall 2024.
- Recipient. Andreas Creative and Research Faculty Award, Summer 2024.
- Recipient. Minnesota State Arts Board Creative Support for Individuals Grant, 2023 and 2022.
Web
