- Born and raised in California
- Studied art at Yale University
- Worked at a career as a painter until age 30
- Received her MFA from Columbia
- Recipient of many awards:
- PEN/Faulkner Award
- Asian American Literacy Award
- American Library Association Alex Award
- France's Prix Femina Etranger
- Arts and Letters Award in Literature
- Guggenheim Fellowship
- Finalist for the National Book Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
-From http://www.julieotsuka.com/about/
