Kristen Roupenian | |
|---|---|
 Roupenian at the 2019Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | c. 1982 |
| Occupation | Writer, author |
| Alma mater | |
Kristen Roupenian (/ruːˈpɛniən/)[1] is an American writer best known for her 2017 short story "Cat Person" and her 2019 short story collectionYou Know You Want This.
Roupenian grew up in theBoston area. Her father is a medical doctor of Armenian origin, and her mother is a retired nurse.[2] Roupenian graduated fromBarnard College in 2003 with a dual degree in English and Psychology and holds a PhD in English Literature fromHarvard University, as well as a Master of Fine Arts from the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at theUniversity of Michigan.[3]
In 2017 Roupenian's short story "Cat Person" was published inThe New Yorker.[2]
Following theviral success of "Cat Person", Roupenian's debut book was the subject of a bidding war in the American market, with offers exceeding $1m.[4] The book was acquired byScout Press. Roupenian received a $1.2 million advance for the book.[5] In 2018HBO bought the development rights for the collection to create an anthology drama series project.[6]You Know You Want This, a collection ofshort stories including "Cat Person", was published in January 2019.[7]
In July 2021 Alexis Nowicki alleged that, in writing "Cat Person," Roupenian included details from Nowicki's life and that of a man Nowicki and Roupenian had both known.[8] In an email reply to Nowicki, Roupenian acknowledged that information she learned from Nowicki's social media served as a "jumping-off point" for "a story that was primarily a work of the imagination, but which also drew on my own personal experiences, both past and present."[8] She apologized for not changing particulars, stating "I can absolutely see why the inclusion of those details in the story would cause you significant pain and confusion."[8]
In March 2018,A24 acquired the rights to Roupenian's horrorspec scriptBodies, Bodies, Bodies.[9] The screenplay was rewritten bySarah DeLappe andBodies Bodies Bodies was released in August 2022, with Roupenian receiving 'story by' credit.[10]
Kristen Roupenian's viral story draws specific details from my own life. I've spent the years since it published wondering: How did she know?
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