Michael Byers
Encyclopedia
Michael Byers is an American writer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College
and of the University of Michigan
Creative Writing MFA
Program. His first book, The Coast of Good Intentions, is a collection of short stories set in his native Pacific Northwest. His second book (and first novel), Long for this World, is set in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, and tells the story of a geneticist facing an ethical dilemma that might lead to a cure for a fatal childhood disease. His third book, Percival's Planet, a novel about the discovery of Pluto in 1930, was published in August 2010.
Byers is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is married to the poet Susan Hutton.
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Creative Writing MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
Program. His first book, The Coast of Good Intentions, is a collection of short stories set in his native Pacific Northwest. His second book (and first novel), Long for this World, is set in his hometown of Seattle, Washington, and tells the story of a geneticist facing an ethical dilemma that might lead to a cure for a fatal childhood disease. His third book, Percival's Planet, a novel about the discovery of Pluto in 1930, was published in August 2010.
Byers is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is married to the poet Susan Hutton.
Novels
- Long for this World (Houghton MifflinHoughton MifflinHoughton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
2003) - Percival's Planet (Henry Holt 2010; published first in the UK as The Unfixed Stars)
Honors and awards
- Friends of American Writers Literary Award for Long for this World
- American Academy of Arts and Letters Sue Kaufman Prize for First FictionSue Kaufman Prize for First FictionThe Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction is awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The $5,000 prize is given for the best published first novel or collection of short stories in the preceding year...
for The Coast of Good Intentions - Whiting Prize for The Coast of Good Intentions
- New York Times Notable Books, 1998 for The Coast of Good Intentions
- PEN/Hemingway Award (finalist) for The Coast of Good Intentions
- Stanford University Stegner Fellowship in Fiction, 1996–98
External links
- Hot Metal Bridge interview with Michael Byers
- http://michaelbyers.org/