Annie Dillard (1945 - 2026) is the acclaimed author of more than ten books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winner Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, as well as An American Childhood, The Living, and Mornings Like This. She was the recipient of many awards and honors including the National Humanities Medal, was a member of the Academy of Arts and Letters, and received fellowship grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She died on September 15, 2026 at the age of 81.