Emi Watanabe Cohen wrote her first novel when she was 12 years old -- the most complete draft she can find clocks in at 234,780 words. That's over 1,000 pages! Thankfully, her editing skills have improved since then. Her more recent work involves Jewish and/or Japanese folklore, complicated families, and a dash of improbable magic. She is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she studied Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Lost Ryū, was an official Indie Next Seleciton.

Author Residence: Chicago, IL