Martin Hyatt is an American contemporary

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 ...

. Born in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, he later attended

Goddard College Goddard College was a Private college, private college with three locations in the United States: Plainfield, Vermont; Port Townsend, Washington; and Seattle. The college offered undergraduate and graduate degree programs. With predecessor ins ...

Eugene Lang College Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, commonly referred to as Lang, is the seminar-style, undergraduate, liberal arts college of The New School. It is located on-campus in Greenwich Village in New York City on West 11th Street off Sixth Avenue ( ...

, and received an MFA in creative writing from

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

. Hyatt's fiction is usually set in the working-class American South. His work is characterized by its

lyricism Lyricism is a term used to describe a piece of art considered to have deep emotions. Its origin is found in the word ''lyric'', derived via Latin ' from the Greek ('), the adjectival form of ''lyre''. It is often employed to relate to the capab ...

and

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

. He has taught writing at a number of colleges and universities, including

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

and

Parsons School of Design The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...

. He has taught Creative Writing at School of Visual Arts,

St. Francis College St. Francis College (St. Francis of Brooklyn or SFC) is a private Franciscan college in Downtown Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn as the St. Francis Academy and was the first private school ...

, and

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

Works

Books

''A Scarecrow's Bible'' (novel)

His critically acclaimed first novel, ''A Scarecrow's Bible'', was published in 2006. The novel, set in the deep south, centers on a closeted, working-class, married Vietnam veteran who comes to terms with his sexuality while battling a drug addiction. For this book, Hyatt won the Edmund White Award for debut fiction in 2007. The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

named his novel a Stonewall Honor Book. He was also a finalist for the

Ferro-Grumley Award The Ferro-Grumley Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle and the Ferro-Grumley Foundation to a book deemed the year's best work of LGBT fiction. The award is presented in memory of writers Robert Ferro and Michael Gru ...

, the

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 ...

, and the Violet Quill Award. Critic

Richard Labonté Richard Labonté (1949 – March 20, 2022) was a Canadian writer and editor, best known as the editor or co-editor of numerous anthologies of LGBT literature.New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...

called the book "a stunning début.". Poet/activist Minnie-Bruce Pratt said the book was a "narrative tour-de-force."

''Beautiful Gravity'' (novel)

On May 22, 2015,

Publishers Marketplace Publishers Marketplace is a publishing industry news website. The website is known for its announcements of recent book deals and also operates the Publishers Lunch newsletter, which provides daily news updates on the publishing industry. His ...

announced that Hyatt's new book, ''Beautiful Gravity'' is to be published by AntiBookClub in Spring, 2016. ''Beautiful Gravity'' is "set in a small town deep in the Louisiana bayous when the peaceful nothingness that envelops the narrator and his only friend, the anorexic daughter of the Pentecostal preacher, turns emotionally turbulent with the arrival of a beautiful city burnished couple in a red sports car and love affairs of every persuasion change lives forever." In January, the American Library Association announced that ''Beautiful Gravity'' had received a 2017 Stonewall Honor Book Award from the American Library Association. The book received critical praise in places such as ''Kirkus'' and ''New York Journal of Books'.''

''Greyhound Country'' (memoir) and other works

Hyatt's work has appeared in a wide range of publications and anthologies. His personal essays, "How To Skin A Deer" (University of Wisconsin Press) and "Greyhound Boy, 1976" (Alyson Books) were featured in Lambda Literary award-winning anthologies and on ''The Huffington Post'' Other personal essays, including "In Tongues" (Electric Literature) and "My Last Big Addiction" are excerpts from Hyatt's memoir, ''Greyhound Country.'' The memoir chronicles the author's struggles with addiction, and his relationship with his southern family, including his developmentally disabled younger brother. His 2016 ''Huffington Post'' post-election piece "An Open Letter to Mike Pence: We are Not Doing That Again" was widely read and shared on social media.

Essays and stories

"An Open Letter to Mike Pence" in ''The Huffington Post''. November, 2016. "How to Skin a Deer." In ''Who's Yer Daddy''. Eds. Elledge and Groff: Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2012. "My Last Big Addiction." In ''Love, Christopher Street.'' Ed. Thomas Keith. New York: Vantage Point Press, 2012. "In Tongues." ''Electric Literature'', 2009 "Greyhound Boy, 1976." Love, Bourbon Street. Eds. Herren and Willis: New York: Alyson, 2006. "Grit, My Love." excerpt, ''New York Magazine'', June 4, 2007. "A Scarecrow's Bible." excerpt, ''Lodestar Quarterly''. Issue 18. (Summer 2006) "Kissing Montgomery Clift." ''Blithe House Quarterly'', 8.2. (Spring 2004) "Faded Rooms." ''Sandbox Magazine'', NYC (Spring 1997)

Awards and nominations

2017 - Recipient, Stonewall Honor Book Award, American Library Association 2017 - Finalist, Lambda Literary Award Nomination, Bisexual Fiction 2007 - Recipient, Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction 2007 - Recipient, Stonewall Honor Book Award, American Library Association 2007 - Finalist, Lambda Literary Award 2007 - Finalist, Ferro-Grumley Award 2006 - Finalist, Violet Quill Award, Doubleday/Insight Out Book Club 2003 - Edward F. Albee Writing Fellowship 2002 - New School Chapbook Award (fiction)

References

2017 Stonewall Book Award Winners AnnouncedBeautiful Gravity Review NY Journal of BooksKirkus Review: Beautiful Gravity by Martin HyattAntiBook Club AuthorsMartin Hyatt KQED/NPR San FranciscoMartin Hyatt in Lodestar QuarterlyMartin Hyatt Electric Literature

Stonewall Book Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyatt, Martin Living people 21st-century American novelists Year of birth missing (living people) American gay writers Novelists from Louisiana Goddard College alumni The New School alumni American LGBTQ novelists American male novelists Hofstra University faculty Parsons School of Design faculty Southern New Hampshire University faculty 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state)