Lucy Schiller

Lucy Schiller is an American nonfiction writer, journalist, and educator whose work explores aging, caregiving, public policy, and the social structures that shape everyday life. She earned an MFA from the University of Iowa's Nonfiction Writing Program, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow, and has held prestigious academic appointments including the Olive B. O'Connor Fellowship in Nonfiction at Colgate University and the Provost's Visiting Writer position at the University of Iowa. Her essays and reporting have appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, Columbia Journalism Review, The Iowa Review, West Branch, Speculative Nonfiction, and DIAGRAM.

Schiller made her book debut with Aging Out: An Exploration of Caregiving, Community, and How Americans Grow Old. Inspired in part by the loss of her grandmother during the COVID-19 pandemic, the book combines investigative journalism with memoir to examine eldercare, aging, healthcare, housing, and the policies that affect older Americans. Through personal reflection and extensive reporting, she explores why aging is so often feared and neglected in the United States, earning praise for her compassionate and deeply researched approach.

In addition to her writing, Schiller teaches nonfiction writing at the college level, helping mentor emerging writers while continuing to investigate questions of community, care, and social justice. Her work is recognized for blending literary storytelling with rigorous reporting, bringing complex public policy issues into focus through intimate human experiences.