Beth Anne Raymer (born in 1976 in

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville m ...

) is an American writer and journalist. Her work in both fiction and non-fiction explores subcultures and issues relevant to the lives of lower and middle-class families. Raymer received an MFA from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. As a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

fellow, she studied offshore gambling operations in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Raymer is the author of several books including '' Lay the Favorite'', a memoir of her experience in the sports-betting industry. The memoir was adapted into a film in 2012. Her journalism has been published in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', Lapham’s Quarterly,

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

, and ''

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''.

Education and early life

Raymer was born in Steubenville, Ohio in 1976 and grew up in

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, where she attended Palm Beach Community College. Her work often draws on her challenging childhood and the struggle of maintaining a relationship with her homeless father. Raymer attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

, graduating with a B.A. in social work. As a student, she worked as an "in-home stripper" and later modeled for adult websites. After being fired from a social work job Raymer moved to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

at the age of 24 and found work in the world of high-stakes gambling and

bookmaking A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays out bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Harry Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795, although similar a ...

. She received an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from

in 2008.

Books and screenplays

Lay the Favorite

Raymer's book, '' Lay the Favorite'', was published in 2010. It follows Raymer as she navigates the legal and illegal world of sports gambling. It has been described as a "

tragicomic Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...

biography" and a "Dickensian picaresque that paints an entertaining view of sports gambling and her own unconventional character." In 2007,

Focus Features Focus Features LLC is an American independent film production and distribution company, owned by Comcast as a unit of Universal Pictures, which is itself a unit of Comcast's division NBCUniversal. Focus Features distributes independent and fore ...

and Random House Films acquired the rights to produce a movie adaptation of the book.

Stephen Frears Sir Stephen Arthur Frears (born 20 June 1941) is a British director and producer of film and television, often depicting real life stories as well as projects that explore social class through sharply-drawn characters. He has received numerous a ...

directed the movie, also called '' Lay the Favorite'', which premiered at the 2012

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

Rebecca Hall Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and director. She made her first onscreen appearance at the age of 10 in the 1992 The Camomile Lawn (TV serial), television adaptation of ''The Camomile Lawn'', directed by her father, ...

plays Raymer, starring alongside

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...

Catherine Zeta-Jones Catherine Zeta-Jones (; born 25 September 1969) is a Welsh actress. Recognised for her versatility, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2010, she was appointed Comm ...

and

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award ...

Fireworks Every Night

Raymer's debut novel ''Fireworks Every Night'',

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

(summer, 2023), explores class differences, the lasting effects of childhood dysfunction, and complex family bonds.

The Lingerie Show

Raymer is the writer and narrator of the short film ''The Lingerie Show'', 2015. This film about addiction, loss, and a new start, debuted at the

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...

and was an official selection of the

Ottawa International Animation Festival The Ottawa International Animation Festival is an annual animated film and media festival that takes place in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The OIAF was founded in 1975, with the first festival held from August 10 to 15 in 1976. Initially organized b ...

, Melbourne International Animation Festival, Madrid International Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Head of Household: A Journal for Single Moms

''Head of Household: A Journal for Single Moms,''

Princeton Architectural Press Princeton Architectural Press (now PA Press) is a division of Chronicle Books. Founded by Kevin Lippert in 1981 in Princeton, NJ, PA Press has been a leading publisher of books on architecture, design, and visual culture for over forty years, ...

, May, 2023

Nuclear: Family and its Aftermath

''Nuclear: Family and its Aftermath'',

, Spring, 2025. This book explores the diverging destinies of two sisters growing up in poverty in 1980s Florida.

Awards

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

Fellow, 2016, 2019 * MacDowell Fellow, 2010, 2013 * Jack Kerouac Writer-in-Residence, 2011 * Florida Arts Council Grant Recipient, 2009 *

Fellow, 2009 * Hertog Fellow at Columbia University, 2007 - 2008

References

External links

Book review

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Books, June 21, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Raymer, Beth American memoirists Living people Writers from Ohio 1976 births American women memoirists People from Steubenville, Ohio People from West Palm Beach, Florida 21st-century American memoirists MacDowell Colony fellows Florida State University alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni 21st-century American women writers Yaddo alumni 21st-century American women journalists Journalists from Florida 21st-century American journalists