Kevin Brockmeier
Encyclopedia
Kevin John Brockmeier is an American
writer
of fantasy
and literary fiction
. His short stories have been printed in numerous publications and he has published two collections of stories, two children's novels, and two fantasy novels. Brockmeier, who was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas
, is a graduate of Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School
(1991) and Southwest Missouri State University (1995). He taught at the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, where he received his MFA in 1997, and lives in Little Rock.
Brockmeier has won three O. Henry Prizes, the Chicago Tribune's Nelson Algren Award for Short Fiction, Italo Calvino Short Fiction Award and several and the Booker Worthen Literary Prize and the Porter Fund Literary Prize.
For more information on individual stories, see Things That Fall from the Sky
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and literary fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
. His short stories have been printed in numerous publications and he has published two collections of stories, two children's novels, and two fantasy novels. Brockmeier, who was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, is a graduate of Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School
Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School
Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School is a magnet school in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States that concentrates heavily on science and the arts. It is Arkansas' first and only interdistrict high school...
(1991) and Southwest Missouri State University (1995). He taught at the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
, where he received his MFA in 1997, and lives in Little Rock.
Brockmeier has won three O. Henry Prizes, the Chicago Tribune's Nelson Algren Award for Short Fiction, Italo Calvino Short Fiction Award and several and the Booker Worthen Literary Prize and the Porter Fund Literary Prize.
Story collections
- Things That Fall from the SkyThings That Fall from the SkyThings That Fall from the Sky is a collection of eleven short stories by American author Kevin Brockmeier."These Hands" was selected for Prize Stories 2000: The O. Henry Awards, "The Ceiling" appeared in The O...
(New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
: Pantheon BooksPantheon BooksPantheon Books is an American imprint with editorial independence that is part of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.The current editor-in-chief at Pantheon Books is Dan Frank.-Overview:...
, 2002, ISBN 0-375-42134-3) - The View From The Seventh Layer (New York: Pantheon Books, 2008, ISBN 0-375-42530-6)
Novels
- The Truth About Celia (New York: Pantheon Books, 2003, ISBN 0-375-42135-1)
- The Brief History of the DeadThe Brief History of the DeadThe Brief History of the Dead is a fantasy and adventure novel by Kevin Brockmeier.-Plot introduction:The story takes place in two realms concurrently in the middle of the 21st century: On earth in the United States and Antarctica, and in a place beyond death called The City. The people in The City...
(New York: Pantheon Books, 2006, ISBN 0-375-42369-9) - The Illumination (New York: Pantheon Books, 2011, ISBN 0-375-42531-4)
For younger readers
- City of Names (Viking, 2002)
- Grooves: A Kind of Mystery (New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2006, ISBN 0-06-073691-7)
Miscellaneous stories
- "The Brief History of the Dead" (published in The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
September 8, 2003; used as the first chapter of the novel by the same name)
For more information on individual stories, see Things That Fall from the Sky
Things That Fall from the Sky
Things That Fall from the Sky is a collection of eleven short stories by American author Kevin Brockmeier."These Hands" was selected for Prize Stories 2000: The O. Henry Awards, "The Ceiling" appeared in The O...
Anthologies as Editor
- Real Unreal: Best American Fantasy 3, edited by Kevin Brockmeier (PortlandPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Underland PressUnderland PressUnderland Press is a publishing company owned by Victoria Blake. Victoria Blake is a writer and the former prose editor for Dark Horse Comics....
, scheduled January 2010, ISBN 978-0-9802260-8-9).
- Featuring stories by: Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, Peter S. BeaglePeter S. BeaglePeter Soyer Beagle is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and Tamsin, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts".-Career:Beagle won early recognition from The Scholastic Art &...
, Laura KasischkeLaura KasischkeLaura Kasischke is an American fiction writer and American poet with poetry awards and multiple well reviewed works of fiction. Her work has received the Juniper Prize, the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America, the Pushcart Prize, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for...
, Jeffrey FordJeffrey FordJeffrey Ford is an American writer in the Fantastic genre tradition, although his works have spanned genres including Fantasy, Science Fiction and Mystery. His work is characterized by a sweeping imaginative power, humor, literary allusion, and a fascination with tales told within tales...
, Lisa GoldsteinLisa GoldsteinLisa Goldstein is a Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award nominated fantasy and science fiction writer. Her 1982 novel The Red Magician won the American Book Award for best paperback novel, and was praised by Philip K. Dick shortly before his death...
, Paul TremblayPaul G. TremblayPaul G. Tremblay is an American author and editor of contemporary horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. Tremblay received two Bram Stoker Award nominations in 2007 and he is a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards.- Biography :...
, Will ClarkeWill ClarkeWill Clarke is an American novelist who is the author of Lord Vishnu's Love Handles: A Spy Novel and The Worthy: A Ghost's Story....
, Thomas GlaveThomas GlaveThomas Glave is an American author of Jamaican descent who has published widely and won numerous awards. He is also a university professor.- Biography :...
, John KesselJohn KesselJohn Kessel is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer and the author of two solo novels, Good News From Outer Space and Corrupting Dr...
, Kellie Wells, Ryan Boudinot, Rebecca Makkai, Martin Cozza, Chris Gavaler, Deborah Scwartzand, Shawn Vestal, and Katie Williams.
Awards and honors
- O. Henry AwardO. Henry AwardThe O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
(2002 for the short story "The CeilingThe Ceiling (short story)The Ceiling is a short story by American writer Kevin Brockmeier that won the O. Henry Award in 2002. It previously appeared in McSweeney's Number 7.-External links:...
") - Nelson Algren AwardNelson AlgrenNelson Algren was an American writer.-Early life:Algren was born Nelson Ahlgren Abraham in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Goldie and Gerson Abraham. At the age of three he moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois where they lived in a working-class, immigrant neighborhood on the South Side...
- Italo Calvino Short Fiction Award
- James Michener–Paul Engle Fellowship
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
grant recipient
External links
- "@illumination_bk". THE ILLUMINATION (Pantheon Books, 2/1/2011) on Twitter.
- "The Brief History of the Dead". Kevin Brockmeier site at Random House.
- "Kevin Brockmeier Interview". EarthGoat. April 3, 2006.
- "Turning Inward: A Conversation with Kevin Brockmeier". by Mary McMyne. Web del Sol/Algonkian Workshops.
- Interview with Kevin Brockmeier on KRUI'sThe Lit Show, 2/1/2011.