Lon Otto

Lon Otto’s most recent book publication is the novel THE FLOWER TRADE (Brighthorse Books, 2022). In addition, he has published three collections of stories—A NEST OF HOOKS (U. of Iowa Press), winner of the Iowa School of Letters Award for Short Fiction, COVER ME (Coffee House Press), and A MAN IN TROUBLE (Brighthorse Books). He has also published the letterpress chapbook WATER BODIES (Coffee House Press) and the craft e-book GRIT: BRINGING PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE INTO IMAGINATIVE WRITING (Writers Workshop Press). His writing is in a number of anthologies, including THE PUSHCART PRIZE (Pushcart Press), AMERICAN FICTION (New Rivers Press), FLASH FICTION and FLASH FICTION FORWARD (W.W. Norton), BLINK and BLINK AGAIN (Spout Press), and TOWNSHIPS (U. of Iowa Press). Several of his stories have been performed on NPR’s “Selected Shorts.” Otto regularly teaches in the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival and is professor emeritus at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he taught literature and writing for many years.