Aimee Bender is an American writer. She was born in 1969 in Los Angeles. Her first book, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, was published in 1998 and was a NY Times Notable Book. Two years later, her first novel, “An Invisible Sign of My Own,” was published, which was also critically acclaimed. In 2005, Bender published another collection of stories, “Willful Creatures,” which was highly praised and also has her unique style of surrealistic characters and plots. However, it was only after the release of the novel “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” (2010) that she won her true recognition. The book was a best seller and was praised by critics. Bender has won prestigious literary awards (including twice the Pushcart Award), and has published short stories in prominent literary magazines such as Granta, GQ, Harper’s, McSweeney’s and Paris Review. She teaches Surrealism at the University of California and is active in social projects such as the Imagination Workshop, a program that encourages writing and artistic work among people with special needs and mental disabilities. She lives with her family in Los Angeles.
