Valya Dudycz Lupescu

Valya Dudycz Lupescu (also known as Valya Lupescu) is a Ukrainian American writer of magic realism and speculative fiction.

A second-generation Ukrainian American, Lupescu's writing reflects both her Ukrainian heritage and her American life. She holds an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a B.A. in English from DePaul University, Chicago. She has taught at DePaul University, Loyola University, and Columbia College in Chicago. Lupescu is the daughter of retired Illinois state senator Walter Dudycz. She is divorced and lives in Chicago, Illinois with her boyfriend and writer, Stephen H. Segal and her three children.

Lupescu's debut novel,The Silence of Trees, was published in 2010 by Wolfsword Press and was selected as a semifinalist in the 2008 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Lupescu is also the founding editor of Conclave: A Journal of Character and occasionally teaches workshops around Chicago and online. Lupescu founded and works creatively with artists, writers, and musicians who are members of the Coop: Chicago Creative Collaborative Salon.

Lupescu is on the board of directors for the Chicago Writers Association and was one of the founders of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. The Chicago Literary Hall of Fame had its inaugural Induction Ceremony on November 20, 2010, at Northeastern Illinois University. Lupescu was the Director of Event Planning for the event that inducted Saul Bellow, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Nelson Algren, Lorraine Hansberry, and Studs Terkel.

• The Silence of Trees (2010, Wolfsword Press, author)
• Conclave: A Journal of Character (2008, 2009–2010, editor) Various artists and authors with a focus on character-driven prose, poetry, and art.