Bestsellers and Pulitzer prize winners, these are 10 of the most famous authors from RI

When it comes to Rhode Island authors, there’s one man who often soaks up all the attention: H. P. Lovecraft.

Born in Providence, no one embraces the weird like Lovecraft did, with a whole genre of fiction named for his creations, Lovecraftian Horror also called "cosmic horror” or "eldritch horror.”

While Lovecraft died in 1937 (and is buried in Swan Point Cemetary), Lovecraftian horror is still going strong, particularly with movies and television shows.

But, he’s hardly the only bestselling author from Rhode Island. Here's a look at other authors with Ocean State ties.

Ann Hood

The author of over a dozen books, Ann Hood was born in West Warwick. Her first book “Somewhere off the Coast of Maine,” published in 1987, was called brilliant by The New York Times. She’s written more fiction books such as “The Obituary Writer” and “An Italian Wife,” but her most beloved books are her memoirs such as “Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love, and Food,” and “Comfort: A Journey Through Grief.” Rhode Island is a fixture in her memoirs.

David Macaulay

An author and illustrator, David Macaulay has long been driven by curiosity, using his talent for drawing and understanding of how mechanical things work to explain it to the rest of us. The Cumberland High School graduate’s work includes "Cathedral,” "City: A Story of Roman Planning and Construction,” and most famously "The Way Things Work.”

Cormac McCarthy

While he spent most of his childhood in Tennessee, Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence. One of six children in an Irish Catholic family, the McCarthys relocated out of the state when he was 4 years old. His works include “Blood Meridian,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “The Road,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Edwin Greene O'Connor

Born in Providence, Edwin Greene O’Connor won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 1962 for his novel “The Edge of Sadness.” While the New England city his book is set in isn’t named, it’s believed to be based on Providence.

Avi

Edward Irving Wortis, better known as Avi, wasn’t born in Rhode Island and has since moved away, but did live here for two decades. He’s written 80 books for children and young adults, including the Newbery Medal for his book “Crispin: The Cross of Lead” and Newbury Honors for his books “The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle” (which has a Rhode Island touch) and “Nothing but the Truth.” When he lived in Providence, his 1835 house inspired his book “Something Upstairs.”

David Kessler

Even if you don’t immediately recognize the name David Kessler, you probably are familiar with his work. A grief expert, Kessler, who was born in Rhode Island, worked with psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross on the five stages of grief and co-authored two books with her. He’s also written several of his own books, including his most recent the bestselling “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief.”

Natalie Babbitt

The author of the 1975 classic “Tuck Everlasting,” Natalie Babbitt lived on Benefit Street in Providence for many years. In addition to “Tuck Everlasting,” which won her a Newbery honor, the first E.B. White Award, and was turned into two movies and a Broadway musical, she wrote 20 books.

Forrest Gander

In 2019, Forrest Gander won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry for “Be With.” While he no longer lives in Rhode Island, he’s the Adele Kellenberg Seaver '49 Professor Emeritus of Creative Writing at Brown University and says he spent “significant” time in Providence in his bio.

Rebecca Donovan

A new adult author, Rebecca Donovan is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author for her “Breathing” trilogy that sold over one million copies. She’s from Bristol, Rhode Island.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Famous authors from Rhode Island: 10 of the most well-known RI writers