Dow Mossman (born 1943 in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

) is an American writer, known for his novel '' The Stones of Summer''.

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 Associati ...

for two years, finished college at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, 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 int ...

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 admi ...

from the

Iowa Writers' Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a graduate-level creative writing program. At 89 years, it is the oldest writing program offering a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the United States. Its acceptance rate is between 2 ...

in 1969. His novel '' The Stones of Summer'' was published by

Bobbs-Merrill The Bobbs-Merrill Company was an American book publisher active from 1850 until 1985, and located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Company history The Bobbs-Merrill Company began in 1850 October 3 when Samuel Merrill bought an Indianapolis bookstore ...

in 1972 and

Popular Library Popular Library is 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 ''wikt:sanare, sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a Hospital#Specialized, specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sa ...

. The novel soon went out of print. One element of the novel is poems and letters from Vietnam sent by Marine officer Dan Guenther (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,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, '' The Stones of Summer'' was re-published by

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. The company operates approximately 600 retail stores across the United States. Barnes & Noble operates mainly through its B ...

. 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