Swirsky was born in 1982 in
San Jose, California into a
Jewish family. A graduate of the
University of California, Santa Cruz and the
Iowa Writers' Workshop, Swirsky taught undergraduate science fiction and fantasy writing while a teaching assistant at the
University of Iowa. In 2005, she attended the
Clarion West writers workshop. In addition to her fiction, Swirsky writes critical essays, reviews, and other non-fiction. Swirsky has donated her writing to a number of charity anthologies. Her story "Heat Engine" appeared in
Last Bird, Drink Head, a flash fiction anthology supporting the ProLiteracy charity. In September 2010, she contributed a story to the online chapbook story collection
Clash of the Geeks, presented by
Subterranean Press supporting the Lupus Alliance of America. Swirsky lives in
Portland, Oregon. She has described herself as a
person with disability. ==Awards and critical reception==