Hillary Jordan grew up in Dallas, Texas and Muskogee, Oklahoma. She received her BA in English and Political Science from Wellesley College and spent fifteen years working as an advertising copywriter before starting to write fiction. She got her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Mudbound, published by Algonquin Books in March 2008, is her first book. It won the 2006 Bellwether Prize for Fiction, awarded biennially to a debut novel that addresses issues of social justice. It’s a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick for summer 2008, a Borders Original Voices selection, and one of twelve vibrant New Voices of 2008 chosen by Waterstone's UK. Hillary’s short fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, including StoryQuarterly and The Carolina Quarterly.

She lives in Tivoli, New York.