Michael Parker is an American

short story writer A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

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 asp ...

and journalist.

Life

Michael Parker was born in

Siler City, North Carolina Siler City is a town in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 7,702. History Siler City began when Plikard Dederic Siler and his wife, Elizabeth Hartsoe Siler, settled about four ...

and grew up in Clinton, North Carolina. He attended Appalachian State University and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with honors in Creative Writing. Parker received his MFA from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

in 1988. Parker's short fiction has appeared in "''

New England Review The ''New England Review'' is an American quarterly literary magazine published by Middlebury College. It was established in 1978 by Sydney Lea and Jay Parini. From 1982 till 1990, the magazine was named ''New England Review & Bread Loaf Quart ...

''," " ''The Oxford American,''" ''Five Points'', ''Shenandoah'', '' Carolina Quarterly'', ''Epoch'' and ''

The Georgia Review ''The Georgia Review'' is a literary journal based in Athens, Georgia. Founded at University of Georgia in 1947, the journal features poetry, fiction, essays, book reviews, and visual art. The journal has won National Magazine Awards for Fiction ...

'' and has been anthologized in the ''Pushcart Prize Stories'' and ''New Stories from the South.'' His stories have received three

O. Henry Award The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry. The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...

s (2005, 2014, 2018). Parker's nonfiction has appeared in ''

The New York Times Magazine ''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...

'', ''

Runner's World ''Runner's World'' is a globally circulated monthly magazine for runners of all skills sets, published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before its acquisition by Hearst, it was founded and published by Rodale, Inc. in Em ...

'', ''Trail Runner'', '' Men's Journal'', ''Gulf Coast'', ''Our State'', ''The Oxford American'' and other magazines. Parker taught for nearly 30 years at the MFA Creative Writing Program at UNC Greensboro, and now lives in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He is on the faculty of the MFA program for writers at

Warren Wilson College Warren Wilson College (WWC) is a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina. It is known for its curriculum that combines academics, work, and service as every student must complete a requisite course of study, work an on-campu ...

Awards

*2020 Thomas Wolfe Prize and Lecture *2019 long-listed for the

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction __NOTOC__ The Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction and nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. in the previous year. They are named in honor of ni ...

for ''Prairie Fever'' *2018 O. Henry Prize Story *2014 O. Henry Prize Story *2010 R. Hunt Parker Award for Literature *2006 North Carolina Award for Literature *2005 O. Henry Prize Story * 2005 Hobson Award in Arts and Letters * 2004 Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council * 2004 Fellowship from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

* 1994 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, for ''The Geographical Cure'' * 1993 finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Prize, for ''Hello Down There''

Works

* * * * * * * ''Prairie Fever'', May 2019, Algonquin Books, * I Am The Light of This World, November 2022, Algonquin Books. (ISBN 9781643751795)

Short stories

* * * ''Everything, Then and Since'', Bull City Press, 2017, ISBN 978-1- 4951-5767-7

References

External links

"Michael Parker: Writing That Really Sings", ''NPR'' June 24, 2007"Michael Parker's website"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Michael 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Writers from Greensboro, North Carolina Living people American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from North Carolina Year of birth missing (living people)