Lidia Yuknavitch

Lidia Yuknavitch (born June 18, 1963) is an American writer, teacher and editor based in Oregon. She is the author of the memoir The Chronology of Water, and the novels The Small Backs of Children, Dora: A Headcase, and The Book of Joan. She is also known for her TED talk "The Beauty of Being a Misfit", which has been viewed over 2.5 million times, and her followup book The Misfit's Manifesto. 2Biography Yuknavitch grew up in a home where her father verbally, physically, and sexually abused her and her sister, while her alcoholic mother did not intervene. As a teen, she was noticed by a "caring and methodical coach" who helped her move towards her dream of becoming a competitive swimmer. The family moved to Florida for additional training, and Yuknavitch began abusing alcohol. Yuknavitch attended college in Texas on a swimming scholarship and had hopes of qualifying for the United States Olympic swimming team. The boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, however, as well as her own drug and alcohol abuse, ended her competitive swimming career. Yuknavitch moved to Eugene, Oregon after losing her scholarship and enrolled in the University of Oregon. She was one of the editors of Two Girls Review, which later became 2 Gyrlz Performative Art