Patrick Eugene Ryan (born 1965) is an American novelist and short story writer. His books include ''The Dream Life of Astronauts'' and ''Send Me,'' as well as three novels for young adults: ''Saints of Augustine'', ''In Mike We Trust'', and ''Gemini Bites.''

Life and career

Patrick Ryan was born in Washington, D.C., in 1965 and raised in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. Thomson, David. "Cool, Ironic Debut Novel, Herald of a Real Career." http://observer.com/2006/02/cool-ironic-debut-novel-herald-of-a-real-career-2/ ''

New York Observer New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

.'' February 13, 2006."Patrick Ryan." Writer's Corner.

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. No date. Accessed 2010-05-08. He received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

in 1987 from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

and his

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts ...

in 1990 from the Writing Program at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

.Barnes, Renee. "Patrick Ryan Author Interview." Another Day in the Life of a Nut. June 19, 2006.
Accessed 2010-05-08. He wrote short stories for about 10 years prior to the publication of his first book. His story "So Much for Artemis" earned him a National Endowment for the Arts in Fiction fellowship and was included in ''The Best American Short Stories 2006''. His story "Getting Heavy With Fate" received the 2005 Smart Family Foundation Award for Fiction. White, Edmund. "The New Gay Fiction." ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

.'' June 21, 2006. His first book was ''Send Me'', a collection of linked short stories that looks at four decades in the life of a dysfunctional family. Celebrated author Edmund White compared Ryan's writing to that of

John Cheever John William Cheever (May 27, 1912 – June 18, 1982) was an American short story writer and novelist. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs". His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan; the Westchester suburbs; ...

. The '' Bay Area Reporter'' called ''Send Me'' "a masterfully eventful novel..." while a reviewer at the ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington st ...

'' said it was "a meticulously crafted, immensely satisfying piece of work." Ryan followed up in 2008 with the

young adult novel Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

''Saints of Augustine''./P.E. Ryan, the Author of ''Saints of Augustine'' and ''Send Me''."">"Interview with Patrick Ryan/P.E. Ryan, the Author of ''Saints of Augustine'' and ''Send Me''."
''Ready When You Are, C.B.'' December 23, 2008. Two best teenage friends, one gay and one not, struggle with family issues, drug abuse, divorce, dating, and a rupture in their friendship. In 2009, he published a second young adult novel, ''In Mike We Trust'', which examines a young man's relationship with his hip, cool, con-artist uncle as the older man attempts to lure him into a life of charity scams. His 2011 novel, ''Gemini Bites'', explores the world of a boy and girl who are fraternal twins, and their competition for the affections of a goth boy who comes to live for a short period of time with their family. ''The Dream Life of Astronauts'' was published in July 2016. It is a collection of nine short stories set against the backdrop of Florida's space program from the late 1960s to the present. For four years, Ryan worked as an editor at the literary magazine ''Granta.'' He is the current editor-in-chief of "One Story" and "One Teen Story".One Teen Story gets one new editor

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Patrick 1965 births 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people Novelists from Washington, D.C. American male short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers