Peter Orner

Peter Orner is one of the shieset and quietest people I know. When he reads his stories to an audience, his voice is soft and the people in the back rows have to pay close attention to catch it all. But they do - there is a lot there.

But as we say in Czech - even quiet water erodes the shores. Peter has earned both an MFA from the University of Iowa and a degree in law. He has taught at Charles University in Prague, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and now he lives in San Francisco and teaches at San Francisco State University.

His stories have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Southern Review, and Epoch, as well as in The Best American Short Stories 2001 and The Pushcart Prize. Before living in Prague, he lived in Namibia. As the recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he spent a year in the libraries of Italy, working on his next book.

His first book, a story collection called Esther Stories, was a New York Times Notable Book, a Finalist for the Pen/Hemingway Award, and winner of the Samuel Goldberg Prize. Needless to say that I love it and you should go buy it.

But the thing that stuns me about Peter is his combination of humbleness, focus and courage. On one hand, I remember a party in his flat in Prague, when suddenly, Peter was nowhere to be found - because he was in his neighbor's flat, reading. On the other hand, when it comes to reasearching his stories, getting up on the stage or in front of students, he's as outgoing as he can be. He just gives everyone his shy smile followed by an unforgettable story. We better perk up and listen, there is more coming.