A native of New Orleans, Sheryl St. Germain has taught creative writing at the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Knox College, Iowa State University, and Chatham University where she directed the MFA Creative Writing program for 14 years. Her work has received several awards, including two NEA Fellowships, an NEH Fellowship, the Dobie-Paisano Fellowship, the Ki Davis Award from the Aspen Writers Foundation, and the William Faulkner Award for the personal essay. In 2018, she received the Louisiana Writer Award from the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana.