As a boy, I spent my allowance on all sorts of pens and paper, so there was never much question that I would become a writer. I received my B.A. from Grinnell College in English and my M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. I've published in such journals as The Southwest Review, Poets & Writers, The Rumpus, Gargoyle, Word Riot, Fiction 365, Flash International, and The Berkeley Fiction Review, among others. I'm the executive director of National Novel Writing Month and also the founder and editor of the lit journal 100 Word Story. I'm currently working on a novel and a collection of stories.