Born and raised in Louisiana, Tim Gautreaux lives there with his wife an is writer in residence at Southeastern Louisiana University. His work has appeared in Harper's, the Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Zoetrope, Prize Stories: The O: Henry Awards, and Best American Short Stories. Acclaimed as 'one of the best writers to have emerged in the 1990s (Kirkus reviews), his novels are The Next Step in the Dance, which won the 1999 SEBA Book Award, the hugely acclaimed The Clearing, and The Missing. He has also written two collections of short stories, published in one volume.