I was born and raised in Alabama, but now live in New York City where I have been working on my novel, writing book reviews and essays, teaching, and doing grant writing for small community-based arts organizations.

Before returning to school to pursue an MFA, I served five years in the United States Marine Corps, and worked as an advertising analyst, congressional aide, and nonprofit manager.  

An excerpt of my debut novel, Africaville, appeared in Narrative magazine, and other fiction, reviews and essays have appeared in Hot Metal Bridge, Painted Bride Quarterly, Rain Taxi Review of Books, The Millions, The Brooklyn Rail, and elsewhere.

I could not have completed my novel this year without the  support of serving as a Paul Cuffee Scholar at the Cuttyhunk Writers Residency, and receiving a Nellie Mae Roe Distinguished Fellowship from Hambidge Center. I have received past grants and fellowships from Vermont Studio Center, Colgate University, Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, The Norman Mailer Center, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

I am an assistant editor at Narrative magazine and a member of the National Book Critics Circle. I am a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Harvard University, and Columbia University where I earned an MFA in fiction.

Photo: Nina Subin