Kari Shemwell is an American writer based in Kentucky. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nevada Reno. Her most recent publications include the Pushcart Prize nominated story “Fish Head” from The Normal School, the Masters Review “ten best emerging writers” award-winning story “This Road May Flood”, and the short story “Shirt Eater”, which was a finalist for the Lascaux Prize and published in the Lascaux Review.

Shemwell’s work explores the intersection of the mundane and the supernatural, creating a complex exploration of love, fear, and the surreal nature of human existence. Characters in her short stories navigate both the ordinary and inexplicable aspects of life, and her work tackles issues of bodily autonomy, societal expectations, and the absurdity of human relationships with dark humor and sharp commentary.

Shemwell has been named a Tennessee Williams Scholar at the Sewanee Writers Conference, an associate artist at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, an artist-in-residence at Jentel Arts and Taleamor Park, and a writing fellow at the Mont Blanc Writers Workshop. She currently teaches creative writing at Murray State University in Kentucky.