KEARNEY – Author Matt Bell is the featured guest at the next Reynolds Visiting Writers Series event hosted by the University of Nebraska at Kearney Department of English.
He will present “Apples & Dystopia!” at 7 p.m. Feb. 23 in the main floor atrium at UNK’s Discovery Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
“Matt Bell writes sci-fi, fairy tales, ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ novels and books English teachers love. He’s a big deal, and we’re lucky he’s visiting us,” said UNK associate professor and Reynolds Endowed Chair of Creative Writing Brad Modlin. “His current hit is about agricultural ethics, climate change, greed and a faun.”
Published in July 2021, Bell’s most recent novel “Appleseed” explores climate change, manifest destiny, humanity’s unchecked exploitation of natural resources and the small but powerful magic contained within every single apple. It was named a New York Times Notable Book and Amazon Book of the Month.
Bell also authored the craft book “Refuse to Be Done,” a guide to novel writing, rewriting and revision, and the novels “Scrapper” and “In the House upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods,” which received the Paula Anderson Book Award, was a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award and was an Indies Choice Adult Book of the Year Honor Recipient.
“In the House” and “Scrapper” were both selected by the Library of Michigan as Michigan Notable Books.
Bell’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Tin House, Fairy Tale Review, American Short Fiction, Orion and many other publications. The Michigan native teaches creative writing at Arizona State University.
