Ander Monson (born April 9, 1975) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

, and nonfiction writer.

Life

He was raised in

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and county seat of Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-larges ...

in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

. His mother's death when he was seven years old is reflected in the themes of his later fiction. He received his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from Knox College in

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal cit ...

. He went on to earn an MA from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

and an MFA from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

. Monson's first two books, the novel ''Other Electricities'' and the poetry collection ''Vacationland'', were published in 2005. ''Other Electricities'' was praised widely for its innovative approach, lyric intensity, and grim humor. His nonfiction debut, ''Neck Deep and Other Predicaments: Essays'' was published in February 2007. It was critically acclaimed for its imaginative reworkings of the form of the essay. In March 2010 Graywolf Press published his collection of essays titled "Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir." The collection includes his essay "Solipsism" which was originally published on his website, republished by ''Pinch,'' and anthologized in ''Best American Essays 2008.'' In July 2010 Sarabande published a collection of his poetry titled "The Available World." Monson is the editor of the literary magazine ''DIAGRAM'', and the ''New Michigan Press''. He lives in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, and teaches at

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

Awards

* 2006 New York Public Library's Young Lions Award finalist, for ''Other Electricities'' * 2006

Graywolf Press Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Graywolf Press collaborates with organizations such as the College of Saint Benedict, the Mel ...

Nonfiction Prize, for ''Neck Deep and Other Predicaments: Essays'' * 2007

John C. Zacharis First Book Award The John C. Zacharis First Book Award honors the best first book of poetry or fiction by a ''Ploughshares'' writer. The award carries a cash prize of $1,500, and feature publication in the "Postscripts" section of the Winter issue. It was started ...

from the literary journal ''

Ploughshares ''Ploughshares'' is an American literary journal established in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O'Malley in The Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, ''Ploughshares'' has been based at Emerson College in Bost ...

'', for ''Other Electricities'' * 2007 Christopher Isherwood Foundation fellowship * 2008 Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award, for ''Neck Deep and Other Predicaments'' * 2008 Knox College Junior Alumni Achievement Award * 2010 National Book Critics Circle Finalist in Criticism for ''Vanishing Point'' * 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship

Bibliography

* ''Safety Features'', New Michigan Press, 1999. * ''Other Electricities'',

Sarabande Books Sarabande Books is an American not-for-profit literary press founded in 1994. It is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, with an office in New York City. Sarabande publishes contemporary poetry and nonfiction. Sarabande is a literary press whos ...

, 2005. * ''Vacationland'',

Tupelo Press Tupelo Press is an American not-for-profit literary press founded in 1999. It produced its first titles in 2001, publishing poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Originally located in Dorset, Vermont, the press has since moved to North Adams, Massachu ...

, 2005. * ''Neck Deep and Other Predicaments: Essays'',

, 2007. * ''Our Aperture'', New Michigan Press, 2008. * ''Vanishing Point: Not a Memoir'',

, 2009. * ''The Available World: Poems'',

, 2010. * ''Letter to a Future Lover: Marginalia, Errata, Secrets, Inscriptions, and Other Ephemera Found in Libraries'',

, 2015. * ''I Will Take the Answer: Essays'',

, 2020. * ''The Gnome Stories'',

, 2020. * ''Predator: A Memoir, a Movie, an Obsession'',

, 2022.

Editor

* * * *

Anthologies

References

External links

Author's website

2006 podcast interview
at The Bat Segundo Show
2010 podcast interview
at The Bat Segundo Show
Ander Monson reads for the Poem of the Day Podcast
from InDigest {{DEFAULTSORT:Monson, Ander Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Knox College (Illinois) alumni People from Houghton, Michigan Novelists from Michigan 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Educators from Michigan 1975 births