Let's make this birthday one to remember.

68 years old (Born on June 14, 1957)

Happy Birthday, Mona Simpson! Celebrating the brilliant mind behind "Anywhere but Here," a novel so captivating it made readers everywhere reconsider their travel plans. Winning the Whiting Prize right out of the gate? Talk about setting high expectations!

And let's not forget your remarkable journey down "Off Keck Road," which earned you the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize—proving once again that when life gives you roads less traveled, write award-winning novels about them. Here's to another year filled with literary adventures and fewer detours (unless they inspire more masterpieces). Cheers to you, Mona—may your birthday be anywhere but ordinary!