Ann Pancake

Ann Pancake (born 1963) is an American fiction writer and essayist from West Virginia, known for her works depicting Appalachia, poverty, and environmental destruction from mountaintop removal mining. She grew up in Summersville and Romney, West Virginia, earned degrees from West Virginia University, University of North Carolina, and University of Washington, and has taught creative writing at various institutions. Her notable achievements include the Whiting Award, NEA Fellowship, and Weatherford Prize for her novel Strange As This Weather Has Been, named a Kirkus Top Ten Fiction Book of 2007.