Writers on Record

Margot Livesey has a B.A. in English and philosophy at the University of York in England. Margot has published seven novels:Homework, Criminals, The Missing World, Eva Moves the Furniture, Banishing Verona, The House on Fortune Street, and The Flight of Gemma Hardy.  Her eighth novel, Mercury, was published in September 2016 by HarperCollins. ​Margot is currently teaching at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives with her husband, a painter, in Cambridge, MA, and goes back to London and Scotland whenever she can.

Margot Livesey has a B.A. in English and philosophy at the University of York in England. Margot has published seven novels:Homework, Criminals, The Missing World, Eva Moves the Furniture, Banishing Verona, The House on Fortune Street, and The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Her eighth novel, Mercury, was published in September 2016 by HarperCollins. ​Margot is currently teaching at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives with her husband, a painter, in Cambridge, MA, and goes back to London and Scotland whenever she can.

Margot Livesey has a B.A. in English and philosophy at the University of York in England. Margot has published seven novels:Homework, Criminals, The Missing World, Eva Moves the Furniture, Banishing Verona, The House on Fortune Street, and The Flight of Gemma Hardy.  Her eighth novel, Mercury, was published in September 2016 by HarperCollins. ​Margot is currently teaching at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. She lives with her husband, a painter, in Cambridge, MA, and goes back to London and Scotland whenever she can.

Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to being an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House, Michelle is the author of the novels Bread and Butter: A Novel, But Not For Long and You're Not You (both available in paperback from Picador). ​She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers' Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to being an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House, Michelle is the author of the novels Bread and Butter: A Novel, But Not For Long and You're Not You (both available in paperback from Picador). She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers' Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Michelle Wildgen is a writer, editor, and teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to being an executive editor at the literary journal Tin House, Michelle is the author of the novels Bread and Butter: A Novel, But Not For Long and You're Not You (both available in paperback from Picador). ​She received her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and has taught fiction and nonfiction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Tin House Summer Writers' Workshop, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival.

Zachary Tyler Vickers is the author of CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARTYRDOM!, from Indiana University Press. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop where he was the Provost's Fellow. He is the recipient of the Richard Yates Prize and Clark Fisher Ansley Prize for excellence in fiction. His work has appeared in numerous journals. 

Zachary Tyler Vickers is the author of CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARTYRDOM!, from Indiana University Press. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop where he was the Provost's Fellow. He is the recipient of the Richard Yates Prize and Clark Fisher Ansley Prize for excellence in fiction. His work has appeared in numerous journals. 

Zachary Tyler Vickers is the author of CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MARTYRDOM!, from Indiana University Press. He is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop where he was the Provost's Fellow. He is the recipient of the Richard Yates Prize and Clark Fisher Ansley Prize for excellence in fiction. His work has appeared in numerous journals. 

Lewis Buzbee's fiction for adults include Fliegelman's Desire, a novel, First to Leave Before the Sun, a novella, and a collection of stories, After the Gold Rush.  He has also published two books of nonfiction, Blackboard: A Personal History of the Classroom, and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, which was a best seller on three continents, has been translated into four languages, and has two bookshops in England named after it.   His novels for younger readers are Steinbeck's Ghost, winner of the Beatty Award from the California Library Association, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, winner of the Northern California Book Award and nominated for an Edgar Award, and Bridge of Time.   His poems, essays, and stories have appeared in Harper's, GQ, New York Times Books Review, Paris Review, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere.  A bookseller and publisher for 20 years, he now teaches writing in San Francisco.  His most recent publication, perhaps the pinnacle of his writing car

Lewis Buzbee's fiction for adults include Fliegelman's Desire, a novel, First to Leave Before the Sun, a novella, and a collection of stories, After the Gold Rush. He has also published two books of nonfiction, Blackboard: A Personal History of the Classroom, and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, which was a best seller on three continents, has been translated into four languages, and has two bookshops in England named after it.  His novels for younger readers are Steinbeck's Ghost, winner of the Beatty Award from the California Library Association, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, winner of the Northern California Book Award and nominated for an Edgar Award, and Bridge of Time.  His poems, essays, and stories have appeared in Harper's, GQ, New York Times Books Review, Paris Review, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere.  A bookseller and publisher for 20 years, he now teaches writing in San Francisco.  His most recent publication, perhaps the pinnacle of his writing career, is in a lette

Lewis Buzbee's fiction for adults include Fliegelman's Desire, a novel, First to Leave Before the Sun, a novella, and a collection of stories, After the Gold Rush. He has also published two books of nonfiction, Blackboard: A Personal History of the Classroom, and The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, which was a best seller on three continents, has been translated into four languages, and has two bookshops in England named after it.   His novels for younger readers are Steinbeck's Ghost, winner of the Beatty Award from the California Library Association, The Haunting of Charles Dickens, winner of the Northern California Book Award and nominated for an Edgar Award, and Bridge of Time.   His poems, essays, and stories have appeared in Harper's, GQ, New York Times Books Review, Paris Review, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere.  A bookseller and publisher for 20 years, he now teaches writing in San Francisco.  His most recent publication, perhaps the p

Norman Ollestad is the author of CRAZY FOR THE STORM, which was a New York Times Bestseller, an Amazon best book of the year, and was published in fifteen countries around the world. His new book FRENCH GIRL WITH MOTHER, a novel, comes out October 11, 2016. His work has appeared in Time, Outside, and Men's Journal. He lives in Venice, California with his family.

Norman Ollestad is the author of CRAZY FOR THE STORM, which was a New York Times Bestseller, an Amazon best book of the year, and was published in fifteen countries around the world. His new book FRENCH GIRL WITH MOTHER, a novel, comes out October 11, 2016. His work has appeared in Time, Outside, and Men's Journal. He lives in Venice, California with his family.

Nathan Machart lives in Iowa City with his wife and two children, holds a BA in Creative Writing from Texas State University and is completing his MFA at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.  His fiction has appeared in the Carolina Quarterly and he was awarded the Gates Thomas Award for Best Fiction in 2013 and 2014.

Nathan Machart lives in Iowa City with his wife and two children, holds a BA in Creative Writing from Texas State University and is completing his MFA at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.  His fiction has appeared in the Carolina Quarterly and he was awarded the Gates Thomas Award for Best Fiction in 2013 and 2014.

Rae Meadows grew up in suburbs of Cleveland and San Diego before attending Stanford University as an Art History major. After years in advertising, she wrote her first story, which led to local workshops and eventually the MFA program at the University of Utah. While in Salt Lake City, she answered phones at an escort service, the experience of which inspired her first novel. Calling Out received the 2006 Utah Book Award for fiction and was named an Entertainment Weekly Must Read, a Book Sense Notable Novel, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and one of the Best Books of 2006 by the Chicago Tribune. Rae was also named one of five Poets & Writers Debut Writers to Watch. Her second novel, No One Tells Everything, was named a Notable Novel by Poets & Writers and was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2008 Anne Powers Fiction Prize.Mercy Train (released in hardback as Mothers and Daughters) was chosen as a Target Emerging Authors sele

Rae Meadows grew up in suburbs of Cleveland and San Diego before attending Stanford University as an Art History major. After years in advertising, she wrote her first story, which led to local workshops and eventually the MFA program at the University of Utah. While in Salt Lake City, she answered phones at an escort service, the experience of which inspired her first novel. Calling Out received the 2006 Utah Book Award for fiction and was named an Entertainment Weekly Must Read, a Book Sense Notable Novel, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and one of the Best Books of 2006 by the Chicago Tribune. Rae was also named one of five Poets & Writers Debut Writers to Watch. Her second novel, No One Tells Everything, was named a Notable Novel by Poets & Writers and was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2008 Anne Powers Fiction Prize.Mercy Train (released in hardback as Mothers and Daughters) was chosen as a Target Emerging Authors sele

Rae Meadows grew up in suburbs of Cleveland and San Diego before attending Stanford University as an Art History major. After years in advertising, she wrote her first story, which led to local workshops and eventually the MFA program at the University of Utah. While in Salt Lake City, she answered phones at an escort service, the experience of which inspired her first novel. Calling Out received the 2006 Utah Book Award for fiction and was named an Entertainment Weekly Must Read, a Book Sense Notable Novel, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and one of the Best Books of 2006 by the Chicago Tribune. Rae was also named one of five Poets & Writers Debut Writers to Watch. Her second novel, No One Tells Everything, was named a Notable Novel by Poets & Writers and was awarded Honorable Mention in the 2008 Anne Powers Fiction Prize.Mercy Train (released in hardback as Mothers and Daughters) was chosen as a Target Emerging Authors sele

Caryl Pagel is the author of two collections of poetry, TWICE TOLD (H_NG M_N Books, 2014) and EXPERIMENTS I SHOULD LIKE TRIED AT MY OWN DEATH (Factory Hollow Press, 2012). Her poems and essays have appeared in AGNI, Denver Quarterly, Essay Press, The Iowa Review, Jacket2, The Mississippi Review, and Devil's Lake, among other journals, and she is currently at work on a collection of essays entitled THE REALITY OF THE UNSEEN.  Caryl is the co-founder and editor of Rescue Press, a poetry editor at jubilat, and the Director of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center. She teaches undergraduate classes in creative writing at Cleveland State as well graduate poetry and nonfiction classes in the NEOMFA Program in Eastern Ohio. I left our discussion comforted knowing that my success as a writer depends mostly on two things: reading and staying true to who I am. There isn't some secret tip or trick that will jumpstart your writing career. You become a better writer, you learn how to write, by reading. Y