Misty Urban wrote her first story at age 5 for the benefit of her younger sister. It was, sources say, a rather conventional piece involving cats, mats, and possibly bats (the work is no longer extant). Her next venture, a journalism/reportage effort entitled “The Urban Star,” peaked at a circulation of 3. She wrote her first novel at age 16. It remains unpublished.
Her subsequent career paths have included stints as a bookseller in Madison, WI; an MA student at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL; a combined MFA/Ph.D. student at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY; and four years as an assistant professor at Lewis Clark State College in Lewiston, ID. She has most recently come to rest in eastern Iowa, where she reads and writes in the company of one handsome park ranger, two young aspiring writers, and a rather heavy collection of books.
Awards
- Outstanding Literary Arts Educator from the Midwest Writing Center
- David R. Collins Literary Achievement Award
- Great River Writer’s Retreat
- Serena McDonald Kennedy Fiction Award
- Alexander Cappon Award for Fiction
- New Letters Award for Fiction
- 2 nominations for a Pushcart Prize
- 2 Best of the Net nominations
- First prize, student fiction from The Atlantic Monthly
- Fiction prize Writers @ Work
CONTACT MISTY to arrange a workshop, reading, book signing, or author appearance.