Michael Upchurch

Fiction Writer

Seattle, WA
Washington US

Author's Bio

Michael Upchurch is a novelist, arts writer and literary journalist whose published books include “Jamboree” (Knopf, 1981), “Air” (Available Press/Ballantine, 1986), “The Flame Forest” (Available Press/Ballantine, 1989) and “Passive Intruder” (Norton, 1995). His essay, “Stead Made Me Do It: ‘House of All Nations’ by Christina Stead,” appeared in “Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love,” edited by Anne Fadiman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2005).

His book reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, American Scholar and other publications. From 1998 to 2008 he was the staff book critic for The Seattle Times, and from 2008 to 2014 he was a general arts writer for The Seattle Times. In 2014, he resigned from The Seattle Times to concentrate again on fiction and literary journalism.

Publications & Prizes

Anthology:
Rereadings (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005)
Books:
Passive Intruder (W. W. Norton & Company, 1995)
,
The Flame Forest (Available Press/Ballantine, 1989)
,
Air (Available Press/Ballantine, 1986)
,
Jamboree (Knopf, 1981)
Journals:
American Scholar
, ,
Christopher Street
, ,
Glimmer Train
,
Golden Handcuffs Review
,
Seattle Review

Personal Favorites

What I'm reading now: 
Deep South by Paul Theroux, The Art of Rivalry by Sebastian Smee, Looking for Betty MacDonald by Paula Becker, Substitute by Nicholson Baker, Known and Strange Things by Teju Cole

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
LGBTQ
Prefers to work with: 
Adults
Fluent in: 
French
Born in: 
Rahway
Raised in: 
London; The Hague; Brockenhurst, UK; Basking Ridge, NJ
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Aug 20, 2016