Wolven, Scott 1965-

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WOLVEN, Scott 1965-

PERSONAL: Born 1965. Education: Columbia University, M.F.A. coursework.

ADDRESSES: Home—Upstate NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Scribner, Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER: State University of New York at Binghamton, former creative-writing instructor.

AWARDS, HONORS: Creative-writing fellowship, Columbia University.

WRITINGS:

Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men, Scribner (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of short fiction to a variety of publications, including Mississippi Review, Emerging Voices Online, CrossConnect, and Best American Mystery Stories.

SIDELIGHTS: Scott Wolven's short fiction has appeared in a number of publications, including the Mississippi Review, CrossConnect, and Emerging Voices Online, and his stories have been chosen for inclusion in several Best American Mystery Stories anthologies. The thirteen tales in his Controlled Burn: Stories of Prison, Crime, and Men address such themes as life in prison, violence, and the difficulties of life for the working class, especially in areas that have been hard-hit economically. Adam B. Vary remarked in a review for Entertainment Weekly that "Wolven writes with a spare, pulp prose that doesn't much care if it engages the reader or not," while a contributor for Publishers Weekly wrote that "Wolven's not as romantic or sympathetic as Hemingway, but it's hard to think that Papa wouldn't appreciate his artistry and imagination." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews concluded that Controlled Burn is "a debut to treasure, a remarkably assured cycle of stories about men who'll live in your heart even though you'll be glad they don't live next door."