Gish Jen, born Lillian Jen (Chinese: 任碧蓮; pinyin: Rčn Bělián) in 1956 in Scarsdale, New York, is a contemporary Chinese American writer. A couple of her short stories have been reprinted in The Best American Anthology. Her piece "Birthmates", has been selected as one of The Best American Short Stories of The Century. Her works include two novels, Typical American and Mona in the Promised Land, and a collection of short fiction, Who's Irish?.
She is the daughter of Norman and Agnes Jen, who are from Shanghai, China. She is married to an Irish-American named David O'Connor and has an elder son and a younger daughter.
