Education
University of Texas at Austin, MA in English/Creative Writing (terminal degree), 1988.
Yale University, MDiv, December 1982.
Vassar College, BA cum laude, Psychology, May 1978.
School of Medicine, The University of Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia, 1975-76
Areas of expertise
Fiction & nonfiction writing.
Former Yugoslavia—culture, politics, and history.
English as a second language.
Teaching experience
Professor. Condordia University, Montreal, Canada. July 1, 2009 -
Visiting Professor, Hebrew University or Jerusalem, Spring 2013
Professor of English. Pennsylvania State University, University Park. M.F.A. Program. Fiction and Nonfiction Writing. 2001-2009
Associate Professor. University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Faculty. Bard College, NY. Multidisciplinary MFA program. 1999.
Faculty. Freie Universitaet, Berlin. Summer 2002. Nonfiction writing.
Fiction Instructor, Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, Middlebury, VT, 2002 & 2006
Core Faculty. Summer Literary Seminars, 1998-present.
Creative Writing, Introduction to Literature, English Composition, and English Instructor. Nebraska Indian Community College, Santee Sioux Campus. 8/89-7/91.
Fellowships and awards
Black Mountain Institute Fellowship, Michael Saltman Fellow, Las Vegas, NV, 2007/08
Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship, St. Petersburg University, Russia, Spring 2006
U.S. National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, 2002 & 1991
New York Public Library Center for Scholars and Writers Fellowship, 2001/02
Kozarac Award for Best Prose by a Slavonian Writer, Vinkovci Festival, Croatia, 10/2000
1999 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation (Salvation)
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, Fiction, 99
Whiting Writer's Award, for fiction and nonfiction, 97
Finalist, Paterson Fiction Prize (Salvation), 1999
O.Henry Awards: Prize Stories, 1998; "Crimson" included in the anthology
Tennesee Williams Fellowship at the University of the South, Fall 99.
Best American Essays, listed as distinguished (06, 01, 00, 99, 98, 96, 95, 94)
Best American Poetry '97, Scrinber, eds. Lehman and Tate, "Shadow," 8/97
Three Pushcart Prizes, 95 - 98
Rieveschl Award for Scholarly or Creative Work, University of Cincinnati, 1997
Winner of Raconteur International Competition, The European MagAZine, 4/28/95
Richard Margolis Prize for Socially Important Writing (Apricots), 95
Friends of American Writers, Second Place Award (Apricots), 95
PEN/Hemingway Award for First Fiction, one of the top five nominees, (Yolk), 95
Midland Prize for Literature, finalist (Yolk), 95
Paterson Prize for Literature, finalist (Yolk), 95
Prairie Schooner Readers' Choice Award, 1993
South Dakota Arts Council Fellowship, 1992
Faculty of the Year, Nebraska Indian Community College, 90/91
Ingram Merrill Foundation Award, 90
1989 Cohen Award, the best story in Ploughshares, Vol. 14
Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation Grant, fiction, 89
Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center Fellowship, 88/89
AWP Awards Series in the Novel, first runner-up, 88
W.K. Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts, Vassar, 82/83.
BOOKS:
Tumbleweed, stories. Vehicule Press, Montreal, 2017
Heritage of Smoke, stories, Ann Arbor: Dzanc Press, 2017
Croatian translation, Zagreb: Profil, 2016
Ex-YU: stories, Montreal: Esplenade Books, 2015
Shopping for a Better Country, narrative essays. Ann Arbor: Dzanc, 2012
Three Deaths, novella in three forms (tale, story, essay). Snare, 2010
Published in French, Boreal Editions, 2016
Infidelities: Stories of War and Lust. New York: Harper Perennial, paperback, Sept., 2005. In French, Boreal Editions, 2015. Croatian and Bulgarian translations, 2016.
April Fool’s Day, a novel. New York: Harper Collins, hard cover, September 2004. Reprint, Harper Perennial, paper, March 2006; published also in England, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Russia, Bulgaria, Quebec (Boreal Editions) and Japan.
Plum Brandy: Croatian Journeys, nonfiction. White Pine Press. 5/2003
Grob u Clevelandu, stories in Croatian, Zagreb, Croatia: Meandar Press, 2003
Stepmother Tongue: Stories in English as a Second Language, edited with Robert Shapard. White Pine Press, 2002
Salvation and Other Disasters, stories. St. Paul: Graywolf Press, paperback, 5/1998. Appeared in Croatia and Bulgaria.
Writing Fiction Step by Step, textbook. Cincinnati: Story Press, 1997.
Yolk, stories. St. Paul: Graywolf Press, original paperback1995.
Apricots from Chernobyl, narrative essays. St. Paul: Graywolf Press, 1995
Fiction Writer’s Workshop, textbook. Cincinnati: Story Press, F&W . 4/1993. Second Edition, expanded, Story Press, February 2008 Appeared also in Indonisian, Croatian, and Bulgarian translations.
STORIES AND ESSAYS: approximately 200 pieces published in the Paris Review, Ploughshares, New York Times Magazine, New York Times Travel Section, L.A. Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer, European Magazine, Jutarnji list, Threepenny, Exile Quarterly Review, Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner, Witness, The Southern Review, Hungry Mind Review, Pushcart Prize, O.Henry Awards Stories, Powder, Tennis Magazine, ACM, Boulevard, TriQuarterly, etc.
