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Peter Selgin

ピーター・セルジン

Peter Selgin

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1957-01-01 （Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Bethel, Connecticut (grew up) → Milledgeville, Georgia (works/resides) → New York (education / early career)

Career

Occupations
novelist, short story writer, playwright, essayist, editor, illustrator, academic
Active Years
1980-
Affiliations
Georgia College & State University, MFA Program (Associate Professor of English), Antioch College (Los Angeles), Montclair State University, New York University

Education

Pratt Institute
studied film, theater and visual art
Country: United States
Studied film, theater and visual art
Bard College
Country: United States
Attended (no specific degree information)
Western Connecticut State University
English
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: United States
Earned a BA in English
The New School
MFA program
Degree: MFA
Period: 〜2005
Year of Graduation: 2005
Country: United States
Earned MFA in 2005

Awards

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2007
Work: Drowning Lessons
Organization: University of Georgia Press
Result: Winner
William Faulkner–William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition
2012
Work: The Water Master
Category: Novel
Organization: William Faulkner – William Wisdom
Result: Winner
Housatonic Book Award for Nonfiction
2017
Work: The Inventors
Category: Nonfiction
Organization: Housatonic Book Awards
Result: Winner
The Dana Award
2012
Work: The Kuhreihen Melody
Category: Essay
Organization: The Dana Award
Result: Winner
Pushcart Prize
2017
Work: The Strange Case of Arthur Silz
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: Nominated
Elixir Press Book Prize (Semi-Finalist)
2020
Work: Duplicity
Organization: Elixir Press
Result: Semi-Finalist
Steel Toe Boots Book Prize (Finalist)
2020
Work: Duplicity
Organization: Steel Toe Boots
Result: Finalist
Charlotte Repertory New Plays Festival
1993
Work: Night Blooming Serious
Category: Play
Organization: Charlotte Repertory
Result: Winner
Mill Mountain Theatre New Plays Competition
1990
Work: A God in the House
Category: Play
Organization: Mill Mountain Theatre
Result: Winner
Bronx Arts Council Fellowship
2007
Organization: Bronx Arts Council
Result: Fellowship

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

S. S. Gigantic Across the Atlantic

1999 Children's picture book

A children's picture book about a steamship crossing the Atlantic.

adventureimagination

By Cunning & Craft: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for Fiction Writers

2007 Craft book (fiction writing)

A practical guide offering advice and techniques for fiction writers.

craft of writingwriting advice

Drowning Lessons

2008 Short story collection (fiction)

A collection of short stories blending humor and melancholy exploring relationships and loss.

relationshipslosshumor

Life Goes to the Movies

2009 Novel

A novel centered on movies and life; Selgin's first novel and a finalist for several awards.

moviesnostalgialife

The Water Master

2011 Novel

A novel published in 2011 that won the Faulkner–Wisdom prize for best novel.

human dramamoral conflict

Confessions of a Left-Handed Man

2011 Essays / Memoir

An essay collection/memoir including his experience of nerve damage to his hand from a dog attack; blends personal history and craft.

memorybody and creativityself-reflection

The Inventors

2016 Memoir / Nonfiction

A memoir weaving family history and personal narrative; winner of the 2017 Housatonic Book Award.

family historymemoryimmigrant experience

Duplicity

2020 Novel

A recent novel that was a finalist or semi-finalist for multiple book prizes.

deceptionrelationships

Bibliography

  • S. S. Gigantic Across the Atlantic (1999)
  • By Cunning & Craft: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for Fiction Writers (2007)
  • Drowning Lessons (2008)
  • Life Goes to the Movies (2009)
  • 179 Ways to Save a Novel: Matters of Vital Concern to Fiction Writers (2010)
  • Confessions of a Left-Handed Man (2011)
  • The Inventors (2016)
  • Your First Page: First Pages and What They Tell Us About the Pages that Follow Them (2017/2018)
  • The Kuhreihen Melody: Nostalgic Essays (2019)
  • Duplicity (2020)
  • A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
observational, descriptive proseblend of humor and melancholyclear, craft-oriented instruction in writings about writing
Recurring Motifs
memory and recollectionfamily and immigrant experiencesolitude and creative strugglereferences to movies/visual art

Health

  • nerve damage to hand (dog bite)
    1981 and aftermath
    Sustained nerve damage to his hand from a dog attack in 1981, temporarily sidelining some artistic work; the experience is the subject of essays.

Legacy

Peter Selgin is a versatile writer and artist active in novels, short stories, essays, plays, children's books and illustration; he is also known for practical books on the craft of writing and as an educator in MFA programs. He has a recognized place in contemporary American letters.

Trivia

  • His twin brother George Selgin is a prominent economist (George Selgin).
  • He sustained nerve damage to his hand from a dog attack in 1981 and wrote about the experience.
  • Serves as an Associate Professor in the MFA program at Georgia College & State University (as of available updates).
  • Worked as an illustrator and caricaturist with appearances in outlets such as The New Yorker.