She was born and raised in Taos, New Mexico. Professor Long received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She is the recipient of the James Michener Fellowship, The Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University, and the Hackney award for the first novel. Her novel, Juniper Tree Burning, was published in 2001. Professor Long is also the recipient of the 2012 University of California, Riverside Innovative Teaching Award.