Liz Moore is a writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. Her first novel, The Words of Every Song (Broadway Books, 2007), centers on a fictional record company in New York City just after the turn of the millennium. It draws partly on Liz's own experiences as a musician. It was selected for Borders' Original Voices program and was given a starred review by Kirkus.
After the publication of her debut novel, Liz obtained her MFA in Fiction from Hunter College. In 2009, she was awarded the University of Pennsylvania's ArtsEdge residency and moved to Philadelphia.
Her second novel, Heft, was published by W.W. Norton in January 2012 to popular and critical acclaim. Of Heft, The New Yorker wrote, "Moore's characters are lovingly drawn...a truly original voice"; The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "Few novelists of recent memory have put our bleak isolation into words as clearly as Liz Moore does in her new novel"; and editor Sara Nelson wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine, "Beautiful...Stunningly sad and heroically hopeful." The novel was published in five countries, was long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and was included on several "Best of 2012" lists, including those of NPR and the Apple iBookstore.
Moore's short fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in venues such as Tin House, The New York Times, and Narrative Magazine. She is the winner of the Medici Book Club Prize and Philadelphia's Athenaeum Literary Award. After winning a 2014 Rome Prize in Literature, she spent 2014-15 at the American Academy in Rome, completing her third novel.
That novel, The Unseen World, was published by W.W. Norton in July of 2016. Louisa Hall called it "fiercely intelligent" in her review in The New York Times; Susan Coll called it "enthralling . . . ethereal and elegant . . . a rich and convincing period piece” in her review in the Washington Post. The Unseen World was included in "Best of 2016" lists by The New Yorker, the BBC, Publishers Weekly, Vox, Google Play, and Audible.com, among others.
Moore’s fourth novel, Long Bright River, was published by Riverhead Books in January 2020. It was an instant New York Times bestseller and has become an international bestseller as well, with translations to be published in 21 territories to date. Long Bright River was a Book of the Month Club pick and the January selection for the Good Morning America book club. In addition, it launched the New York Times’s Group Text monthly feature. Barack Obama selected Long Bright River as one of his favorite books of 2020.
In July 2024, Moore’s fifth novel, The God of the Woods, was published by Riverhead Books and again became an instant New York Times bestseller. It debuted as the #1 bestseller among independent bookstores across the United States; was once again selected by Barack Obama for inclusion on his Summer Reading List; was chosen by Barnes & Noble as their national book club choice for July 2024; was selected by viewers of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as their choice for the Summer 2024 Fallon Book Club, for which Liz Moore made an appearance on the show; and has been sold for translation in twenty-eight foreign territories to date.
A limited-series adaptation of Long Bright River—co-created, executive produced, and co-written by Moore, and starring Amanda Seyfried—will premiere on Peacock in 2025. Both The Unseen World and The God of the Woods have been optioned by Sony Pictures Television, with Moore in a writing/producing capacity.
