David Rhodes (1946 – 2022) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

. He has published six novels; the most recent, ''Painting Beyond Walls'', was published in 2022.

Biography

Rhodes grew up outside Des Moines, Iowa. He earned 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 ...

degree from

Marlboro College Marlboro College was a private college in Marlboro, Vermont. Founded in 1946, it remained intentionally small, operating as a self-governing community with students following self-designed degree plans culminating in a thesis. In 1998 the colle ...

in 1969 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 ...

degree 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 Wri ...

in 1971. He published ''The Last Fair Deal Going Down'' (Atlantic Little Brown, 1972), ''The Easter House'' (Harper & Row, 1974), ''Rock Island Line'' (Harper & Row, 1975), ''Driftless'' (Milkweed Editions, 2008), ''Jewelweed'' (Milkweed Editions, 2013), and ''Painting Beyond Walls'' (Milkweed Editions, 2022). In 1977, Rhodes suffered a motorcycle accident that left him

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

from the chest down. ''Driftless'' was his first book since his return to publishing. Rhodes lived with his wife, Edna, in rural Wonewoc,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He died on November 10, 2022, in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

Works

*''The Last Fair Deal Going Down'' (Atlantic Little Brown, 1972) *''The Easter House'' (Harper & Row, 1974) *''Rock Island Line'' (Harper & Row, 1975) * ''Driftless'' (Milkweed Editions, 2008); a novel set in the

Driftless Area The Driftless Area, a topographical and cultural region in the American Midwest, comprises southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, and the extreme northwestern corner of Illinois. Never covered by ice during the last ...

, in the fictional town of Words, Wisconsin *''Jewelweed'' (Milkweed Editions, 2013) *''Painting Beyond Walls'' (Milkweed Editions, 2022)

References

External links

Poets & Writers articleRadio interview
on NPR's ''On Point with Tom Ashbrook'' * Sharma-Jensen, Geeta
"Wisconsin writer David Rhodes publishes 'Driftless'"
''Journal Sentinel'' (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), 20 October 2008.
"''Driftless'' by David Rhodes"
''California Literary Review'', John Holt, November 11, 2008 *Maggie Ginsberg
Eerie, barely futuristic vision of a gated community in the Driftless haunts new novel from acclaimed author
Madison Magazine (Madison, Wisconsin), 20 September 2022. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, David 1946 births Living people People from Wonewoc, Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin Marlboro College alumni American male writers