Matt Bell (born 1980) is an American writer. He is the author of ''Appleseed'' (2021), ''How They Were Found'' (2010) and ''Cataclysm Baby'' (2012). He received his BA from
Oakland University and his MFA from
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, 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 ...
. In 2012, he took a position as an assistant professor in the English department at
Northern Michigan University
Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...
, and currently teaches in the English department at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in t ...
.
Bell is the senior editor at
Dzanc Books
Dzanc Books is an American independent press book publisher. It is a non-profit 501(c)(3) private foundation. Michelle Dotter is publisher and editor-in-chief.
Background
Dzanc Books was founded in 2006 by Steven Gillis, a lawyer turned novel ...
, as well as the founding editor of ''The Collagist,'' a monthly online literary magazine. His short fiction has also appeared in numerous literary magazines, including ''
Conjunctions
Conjunction may refer to:
* Conjunction (grammar), a part of speech
* Logical conjunction, a mathematical operator
** Conjunction introduction, a rule of inference of propositional logic
* Conjunction (astronomy)
In astronomy, a conjunction occ ...
'', ''
Hayden's Ferry Review'', ''
Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Missis ...
'', ''
Guernica
Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the m ...
'', ''Willow Springs'', ''Unsaid'', and ''
American Short Fiction''. His stories have been anthologized in ''
The Best American Mystery Stories
''The Best American Mystery and Suspense'' is an annual anthology of North American mystery and thriller stories. Part of '' The Best American Series'' since 1997, it is published by Empire Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. Prior to 2021, its ...
'', ''
Best American Fantasy'', and ''
30 Under 30: an Anthology of Innovative Fiction by Younger Writers''.
Reception
''How They Were Found'' was reviewed favorably in ''
The Believer'', ''
American Book Review,'' and ''
The Rumpus
''The Rumpus'' is an online literary magazine launched on January 20, 2009. The site features interviews, book reviews, essays, comics, and critiques of creative culture as well as original fiction and poetry. The site runs two subscription-base ...
''. At ''HTMLGiant'',
Kyle Minor wrote that "Matt Bell has built a national reputation on his own terms, completely outside the support system of New York publishing, on the strength of his stories and novellas, which are wholly original and singularly his own. He is that rare sort of writer whose work the reader would recognize even if were published anonymously. It is formally daring, high-stakes, languaged-up stuff, and (lucky us!), the best of it has finally been collected at book length."
''Cleveland Review of Books'' reviewed ''Appleseed: A Novel,'' calling Bell's prose "visceral and sensuous" as it explored humanity's "narrow, immediate, and self-serving worldview."
Bibliography
*''How They Were Found'' (short fiction) (Keyhole Press, 2010)
*''Cataclysm Baby'' (Mud Luscious Press, 2012)
*''In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods '' (
Soho Press
Soho Press is a New York City-based publisher founded by Juris Jurjevics and Laura Hruska in 1986 and currently headed by Bronwen Hruska. It specializes in literary fiction and international crime series. Other works include published by it inclu ...
, 2013)
*''Baldur's Gate II'' (
Boss Fight Books, 2015)
*''Scrapper'' (Soho Press, 2015)
*''A Tree or a Person or a Wall'' (Soho Press, 2016)
*''Appleseed: A Novel'' (2021)
References
External links
Official Website*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110704053312/http://www.conjunctions.com/archives/c53-mb.htm "His Last Great Gift," a short story published in ''Conjunctions''Interview with author at ''Tin House''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Matt
Living people
American male writers
1980 births
Bowling Green State University alumni
Northern Michigan University faculty