Jeffery Renard Allen is the author of six books of fiction and poetry. Allen’s accolades include the Chicago Tribune’s Heartland Prize for Fiction, a Guggenheim fellowship, the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, a Whiting Award, and many residencies and other fellowships. He was also a finalist for both the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Allen is the founder and editor of Taint Taint Taint magazine and is the Africa editor of the Evergreen Review. His latest books are the short-story collection Fat Time and the memoir An Unspeakable Hope, which was coauthored with Leon Ford. Allen makes his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, and New York. Find out more at writerjefferyrenardallen.com.