David Guterson

American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist.

David Guterson was born in Seattle in 1956 and received his M.A. from the University of Washington, where he studied under the writer Charles Johnson.  After college, Guterson taught high school English and began writing for Harper's magazine, where he was a contributing editor.  His non-fiction work has also appeared in, among other publications, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.

In 2002, Guterson co-founded Field’s End, an organization for writers through which he has continued to teach.  He also mentors writers from the University of Washington’s Creative Writing program.

Guterson’s books include a collection of short stories, “The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind” (1989), winner of the Washington State Governor’s Award, and a book of essays called “Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense” (1992).  He is also the author of the novel “Snow Falling on Cedars” (1994), which won the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, an ABBY from the American Bookseller’s Association, A Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Guterson’s subsequent novels include “East of the Mountains” (1998), “Our Lady of the Forest” (2003), and “The Other” (2008).  Of late, his poetry has appeared in Narrative, Poetry Northwest, Ploughshares, and other periodicals.  He currently lives in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where he is at work on a new novel and more poetry.