Karen Salyer McElmurray was born on September 12, 1956 in Topeka, KS. She is a
professor, poet, and author of numerous short stories, essays, and books of creative
nonfiction, literary fiction, and memoir. She has written at least five books.
Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother's Journey was published in 2004. It tells the story
of the author's own teen years when she had to put her newborn son up for adoption.
It then picks up the story 25 years later when she goes to look for her son. The book
won the 2005 Georgia Author of the Year Award (Memoir) and the 2005 Appalachian
Book of the Year. Publishers Weekly writes: "That McElmurray made it out of her
trailer-park marriage, out of secretarial and fast food jobs, through college and on to
teaching creative writing courses is admirable. That she reached the self-awareness
to birth this remarkable memoir is a gift both to her son and to readers."