Born in 1988 in Northern California, Kathleen Alcott is the author of the novels Infinite Home and The Dangers of Proximal Alphabets. Her short fiction, criticism, memoir, and food writing have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker Online, The Los Angeles Review of Books, ZYZZYVA, Tin House, The Bennington Review, and The Coffin Factory.

In 2017, her short story "Reputation Management" was shortlisted for the prestigious Sunday Times Short Story Award. Her short story "Saturation" was listed as notable by The Best American Short Fiction of 2014, and her most recent novel was a Kirkus Prize nominee.

She lives in New York City, where she has taught at Columbia University, The Center for Fiction and Catapult Fiction.