Art Taylor is an American short story writer, book critic and an English professor.

Early life and education

Taylor was born and raised in

Richlands, North Carolina Richlands is a town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 population was 1,520. It is included in the Jacksonville, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Incorporated on March 29, 1880, it was the first town in Onslow C ...

. He graduated from Episcopal High School, a private school in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. He went onto

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

where in 1990 he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

, and he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 2003 from

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

and a

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 admini ...

in 2006 from

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

Career

Taylor's short fiction won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

in 2019; an

Anthony Award The Anthony Awards are literary awards for mystery writers presented at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention since 1986. The awards are named for Anthony Boucher (1911–1968), one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. Among the m ...

in 2015;

Agatha Award The Agatha Awards, named for Agatha Christie, are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write in the traditional mystery subgenre: "books typified by the works of Agatha Christie . . . loosely defined as mysteries that contain no expli ...

s in 2014, 2015, and 2017;

Macavity Award The Macavity Awards are a literary award for mystery writers. Nominated and voted upon annually by the members of the Mystery Readers International, the award is named for the " mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot's ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' ...

s in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020; and four Derringer Awards: for Best Novelette in 2011 and 2021 and for Best Long Story in 2012 and 2013. He is the author of ''On the Road with Del & Louise: A Novel in Stories'' (2015)'','' which won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel in 2016. He edited ''Murder Under the Oaks: Bouchercon Anthology 2015'', which won the Anthony Award for Best Anthology or Collection in 2016. In addition to writing fiction, he also reviews mysteries and thrillers for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and contributes to ''

Mystery Scene ''Mystery Scene'' is an American magazine, first published in 1985, that covers the crime and mystery genre with a mix of articles, profiles, criticism, and extensive reviews of books, films, TV, short stories, audiobooks, and reference works. E ...

'' magazine. He is an assistant professor of English at

Bibliography

#''On the Road With Del & Louise: A Novel in Stories'' (2015). #''The Boy Detective & The Summer of '74 and Other Tales of Suspense'' (2020).

Personal life

Taylor is married to editor and novelist Tara Laskowski, and they have one son, Dash.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Art Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American short story writers American literary critics Agatha Award winners Macavity Award winners George Mason University faculty George Mason University alumni American male short story writers American male non-fiction writers Anthony Award winners