Answer the following question: Facts:   - name: jesmyn ward      - image: jesmyn_ward . jpeg    - alma mater: university of michigan   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of jesmyn ward .
Answer:
jesmyn ward is an american novelist and an associate professor of english at tulane university .she won the 2011 national book award for fiction -lrb- with acceptance speech by ward , interviews with and readings by all five finalists . -rrb-and a 2012 alex award with her second novel `` salvage the bones '' , a story about familial love and community covering the 10 days preceding hurricane katrina , the day of the cyclone , and the day after .prior to her appointment at tulane , ward was an assistant professor of creative writing at the university of south alabama .from 2008 to 2010 , ward had a stegner fellowship at stanford university .she was the john and renée grisham writer in residence at the university of mississippi for the 2010 -- 2011 academic year .ward joined the faculty at tulane in the fall of 2014 .in 2013 she released her memoir men we reaped .