John D’Agata is the author of Halls of Fame, About a Mountain, and The Lifespan of a Fact, and editor of The Next American Essay, The Lost Origins of the Essay, and the forthcoming The Making of the American Essay.  The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Howard Foundation, and Guggenheim Foundation, he teaches creative writing at the University of Iowa, where he directs the MFA in Nonfiction Writing Program. More about this author >