Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Carmen Maria Machado

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 12, 2026

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Carmen Maria Machado made an impact.

Carmen Maria Machado is a celebrated American author known for her innovative and genre-bending works. She gained widespread recognition with her short story collection, 'Her Body and Other Parties,' which explores themes of female identity, sexuality, and trauma through a blend of speculative fiction and literary realism. Her memoir, 'In the Dream House,' further solidified her reputation, offering a powerful and experimental exploration of domestic abuse within a queer relationship. It won the 2021 Folio Prize. Machado is also an essayist and critic, contributing to various publications and engaging with contemporary literary and cultural discussions.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

2011: Awarded the Richard Yates Short Story Prize

In 2011, Carmen Maria Machado was awarded the Richard Yates Short Story Prize.

2013: Rejection from Starbucks and work at Lush

In 2013, after being rejected from Starbucks, Carmen Maria Machado began working at Lush, a soap store, while teaching writing as an adjunct professor.

2015: Publication of "Horror Story" in Granta

In 2015, Carmen Maria Machado's short story, "Horror Story," was originally published in Granta.

2017: Publication of "Her Body and Other Parties"

In 2017, Carmen Maria Machado published "Her Body and Other Parties", a short story collection.

2017: Publication of "Her Body and Other Parties" by Graywolf Press

In 2017, Carmen Maria Machado's horror-inspired short story collection, "Her Body and Other Parties", was published by Graywolf Press and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and won the National Book Critics Circle Award John Leonard Prize.

2017: Publication in Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2017

In 2017, Carmen Maria Machado's short stories, essays, and criticism were published in anthologies such as Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2017.

2017: Appearance in Her Body and Other Parties

In 2017, Carmen Maria Machado's work also appeared in her short story collection Her Body and Other Parties.

2018: Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania

As of 2018, Carmen Maria Machado became the Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania.

2018: Winning the Bard Fiction Prize

In 2018, Carmen Maria Machado won the Bard Fiction Prize.

2018: Shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize

In 2018, Carmen Maria Machado's collection, "Her Body and Other Parties", was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.

2019: Publication of "In the Dream House"

In 2019, Carmen Maria Machado published her memoir, "In the Dream House".

2019: Guest editor of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 edition

In 2019, Carmen Maria Machado served as the guest editor of The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 edition.

2019: Recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship

In 2019, Carmen Maria Machado was a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship.

2020: Collected hardcover edition published

In 2020, a collected hardcover edition of her works was published.

2021: Winning the Folio Prize

In 2021, Carmen Maria Machado's memoir, "In the Dream House", won the Folio Prize.

2021: Visiting associate professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop

In Spring 2021, Carmen Maria Machado was a Visiting associate professor at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

October 2022: Publication of "Both Ways" in anthology

In October 2022, Carmen Maria Machado's essay "Both Ways", about the 2009 film Jennifer's Body, was published as part of the anthology It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror.