Dean Monti is the author of the critically acclaimed comic novel THE SWEEP OF THE SECOND HAND, published by Academy Chicago Publishers, and in paperback by Penguin Putnam Berkley Signature. Besides his novels, he has published short stories, produced several one-act plays, and has had one of short stories successfully adapted for the stage in Chicago. He has taught creative writing at Columbia College and College of DuPage. He credits Carol Anshaw, Dana Spiotta, Myla Goldberg, and Robert McKee among his writing mentors. In 2015, he completed his MFA in Creative Writing at Queens University, Charlotte, NC. His completed full-length novels include: THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE AMBER MINGE, THE MONOSEXUAL, STRANGER TO HIMSELF, STICKY FINGERS, and UNDERCRANKED. In 2021, his short story, WHY DOGS DON'T TALK was produced as a short film and streamed by First Folio Theater.