Francine Prose - Summer Visiting Writer

The visiting writer for the summer 2009 MFA residency is Francine Prose.

The author of the New York Times bestseller "Reading Like a Writer," as well as 14 books of fiction, including "A Changed Man," winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and "Blue Angel," a finalist for the National Book Award. A distinguished critic and essayist, she has taught literature and writing for more than twenty years at major universities. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, and The Paris Review; she is a contributing editor at Harper's, and she writes regularly on art for the Wall Street Journal. Francine Prose lives in New York City. She was a participant in the 2005 World Voices Festival and is president of PEN American Center.

John Searles - Visiting Writer

John Searles is the author of two best-selling novels, Strange But True and Boy Still Missing, both published by HarperCollins. He is the Deputy Editor of Cosmopolitan, where he oversees all book coverage for the magazine. He appears regularly on NBC's Today Show to announce his favorite book selections. Both of John's novels have beenn optioned for film, and he has written the screenplay adaptation of Strange But True, which is currently in development with GreeneStreet Films. John received his Masters degree in creative writing from New York University. He lives in New York City.

John Searles' web-site