Dow Mossman (born 1943 in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

) is an American writer, known for his novel ''

The Stones of Summer ''The Stones of Summer'' is a novel by American writer Dow Mossman. Both the novel and Mossman are also subjects of Mark Moskowitz's Slamdance award-winning film, '' Stone Reader''. ''The Stones of Summer'', first printed in 1972, quickly went ...

''.

Life and career

Dow Mossman studied at

Coe College Coe College is a private liberal arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was founded in 1851 and is historically affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The college is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Associat ...

for two years, finished college at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

and received his

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts a ...

from the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. The writer Lan Samantha Chang is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Wr ...

in 1969. His novel ''

'' was published by

Bobbs-Merrill The Bobbs-Merrill Company was a book publisher located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Company history The company began in 1850 October 3 when Samuel Merrill bought an Indianapolis bookstore and entered the publishing business. After his death in ...

in 1972 and

Popular Library Popular Library was a New York paperback book company established in 1942 by Leo Margulies and Ned Pines, who at the time were major pulp magazine and newspaper publishers. The company's logo of a pine tree was a tribute to Pines, and another ...

a year later. Following the publication of the novel, Mossman was mentally exhausted and spent several months in an Iowa

sanitorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are ofte ...

. The novel soon went out of print. One element of the novel is poems and letters from Vietnam sent by Marine officer

Dan Guenther Dan Guenther (born 1944 in Waukegan, Illinois), is an American novelist and poet. A graduate of Coe College, he has a Master of Fine Arts from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. His poems and letters from Vietn ...

(U.of Iowa, MFA, 1973), who later published the novels ''China Wind'' (Ivy, 1990) and ''Dodge City Blues'' (Redburn Press, 2007).

''Stone Reader''

In 2002, Mossman was the subject of the documentary film ''Stone Reader'' by

Mark Moskowitz Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

, Stone Reader (IMDB)
/ref> which chronicled the director's attempt to resuscitate the acclaimed book and speak to its seemingly vanished author. The film shows Mossman currently living in the home he grew up in, which is filled with books. According to the film, Mossman writes on the porch, and is currently working on a book based on notes he has taken from watching hundreds of old movies. In addition to that book, he is also working on a book of poetry. Prior to ''Stone Reader'', Mossman had been employed for 19 years as a welder, before quitting his job to look after his aging mother until her death, after which he returned to work as a paper bundler for the local newspaper. After the film's release, ''

'' was re-published by Barnes & Noble. He is now semi-retired.

References

External sources

*New York Times (February 12, 2003
Recounting Obsession With a 1972 Author
eview, "The Stone Reader" *NPR (June 17, 2003)
The Stone Reader
nterview, "The Stone Reader" *The Observer (August 3, 2003)
On the trail of a lost genius
eview, "The Stone Reader" Living people Coe College alumni Novelists from Iowa Writers from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni 1943 births American male novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers {{US-novelist-1940s-stub