K. J. Stevens (born June 4, 1973) is an American

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 ...

and

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 t ...

. His writing has appeared in ''The Adirondack Review'', ''Fluid Magazine'', ''Me Three'', ''Circle Magazine'', ''Cellar Door'', ''Prose Ax'', ''Temenos'', and ''BloodLotus''. ''Pilgrims Bay'', Stevens first novel, was released in 2007. Stevens' writing style has been described as

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

J.D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger (; January 1, 1919 January 27, 2010) was an American author best known for his 1951 novel ''The Catcher in the Rye''. Salinger got his start in 1940, before serving in World War II, by publishing several short stories in ''S ...

Gertrude Stein Gertrude Stein (February 3, 1874 – July 27, 1946) was an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny West neighborhood and raised in Oakland, California, Stein moved to Paris ...

, Amanda Davis,

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

Raymond Carver Raymond Clevie Carver Jr. (May 25, 1938 – August 2, 1988) was an American short story writer and poet. He contributed to the revitalization of the American short story during the 1980s. Early life Carver was born in Clatskanie, Oregon, a mi ...

, David Shaw, and

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. She was a Southern writer who often ...

have been attributed as his influences.

Biography

Stevens was born in

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

, but grew up in Maple Ridge Township. Stevens attended

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

up to December 1999, where he published his first work with fellow Michigan writer Travis Mulhauser, titled ''Corvallis Road''.Fenton, Angie
"Tenacious writers take future into own hands"
, ''Central Michigan Life'', 1999-09-15. Afterwards, he studied creative writing at

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. He currently resides in

Bibliography

Novels

*''Pilgrims Bay'' (2007)

Collections

*''Corvallis Road'' (with Travis Mulhauser ) (1999) *''A Better Place'' (2002) *''Infidelity'' (2004) *''Dead Bunnies'' (2004) *''CUTTING TEETH'' (2012)

Poetry

*''Introspection'' (

chapbook A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...

) (1999)

Nonfiction

*''Landscaping'' (2007)

References

External links

Profile and blog at Amazon.com"K.J. Stevens blog at Open Salon

Works

"CUTTING TEETH" by K.J. Stevens"Pilgrim's Bay" by K.J. Stevens"Dead Bunnies" by K.J. StevensFull text of ''In Debt'' by K.J. StevensFull text of ''The Throw Away'' by K.J. Stevens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, K. J. 1973 births 21st-century American novelists American bloggers American male novelists Central Michigan University alumni Living people Novelists from Michigan Minimalist writers People from Alpena, Michigan 21st-century American poets American male poets American male essayists American male short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American essayists 21st-century American male writers American male bloggers