Writer Rick Moody grew up in New York and the surrounding area. He studied at Brown and Columbia, briefly worked in publishing, and released his first novel in 1992. Moody's work mines smart, messed-up people's minds and also explores the literate culture of New York City and its suburbs. Moody's

Psychological, Smart, Sprawling

Mal-O-Mar is a genuinely tiny press that was founded recently by poet Ariana Reines; the press allowed her to print completed work almost immediately, without going through the normal song and dance with the publishing industry. It’s a venture that gives writers immense control over the publishing

Intimate, Smart

Crime novelist James Ellroy grew up in Los Angeles, the city he's written about since 1981. The 1958 murder of his mother shaped his childhood and later became the subject of his book 'Black Dahlia.' A high school drop-out, Ellroy had a troubled young adulthood. He joined the army briefly, but was di

Dark, Rhythmic, Smart

Ben Jonson may be the most famous person to use the shortened version of his given name professionally. It is for hackneyed notes and anecdotes like these that the playwright, poet, and actor is now primarily known.

Evidently, it is really difficult to be a dramatist and poet if you lived

16th century (renaissance) literature, 16th century (renaissance) poetry, Beautiful , Classical, Figurative, Parody, Pioneering, Political, Smart, Witty