Molly Gloss grew up in rural Oregon and began writing seriously when she became a mother. She now lives in Portland, Oregon and is close friends with fellow science fiction writer Ursula K. Le Guin. She has taught writing and literature of the American West at Portland State University, and served as visiting professor at Pacific University's low-residency MFA in Writing program.
The Jump-Off Creek was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and won both the 1990 Ken Kesey Award for the Novel and 1990 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award
Wild Life was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award and won the 2000 James Tiptree, Jr. Award for work that explores or expands notions of gender
The Hearts of Horses was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award