Blair Mastbaum (born January 24, 1979) is an American

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and former model. Mastbaum fabricated a series of stories published by

Atlas Obscura ''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...

. The articles were retracted after investigations found plagiarism, fabricated quotes and interviews, and misinformation.

Career

Mastbaum acted in and produced the 2005

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 ...

official competition film, '' Ellie Parker'', directed by his partner,

Scott Coffey Scott Coffey (born Thomas Scott Coffey; May 1, 1964) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. His film credits include ''Shag'', '' Some Kind of Wonderful'', ''Dream Lover'', and ''Mulholland Drive''. He directed the films '' E ...

. He co-wrote the 2018 feature film, ''For Real'', also directed by Coffey.

''Clay's Way''

Mastbaum's first

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, 2004's '' Clay's Way'', won a

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

''Us Ones in Between''

Mastbaum's second novel, ''Us Ones in Between'', published by

Running Press Running Press is an American publishing company and member of the Perseus Books Group, a division of the Hachette Book Group. The publisher's offices are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with many of the corporate functions taking place in ...

and released in May 2008, centers on depressed art school graduate Kurt Smith, who fantasizes about pushing boys in front of subway trains. The title is taken from the song "Us Ones in Between," written by

Spencer Krug Spencer Krug ( ) (born May 4, 1977) is a Canadian musician. He is the singer, songwriter and keyboardist for the indie rock band Wolf Parade and has recorded solo under both his own name and the name Moonface. He has also performed with other Ca ...

and performed by the band

Sunset Rubdown Sunset Rubdown is a Canadian art rock music group from Montreal. The band began as a solo project for Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade, who released his debut, '' Snake's Got a Leg'', in early 2005. By the next year the project expanded to become a f ...

. The novel was a finalist for the 2008 Ferro-Grumley Award.

Other works

Mastbaum edited the anthology ''Cool Thing: The Best New Gay Fiction by Young American Writers'', released by Running Press on November 10, 2008.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' Clay's Way'' (2004) * ''Us Ones in Between'' (2008)

Edited works

* ''Cool Thing: The Best New Gay Fiction by Young American Writers'' (2008)

References

Living people 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Lambda Literary Award for Debut Fiction winners Writers from Portland, Oregon 1979 births American gay writers Writers from Dayton, Ohio 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Ohio Novelists from Oregon 21st-century American LGBTQ people {{US-novelist-1970s-stub