Mark Slouka is the author of War of the Worlds, a cultural critique of the digital revolution; Lost Lake, a collection of stories; and two novels, God’s Fool and The Visible World. His short fiction has won the National Magazine Award and been included in PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories and The Best American Short Stories. His essays, a number of which have appeared in The Best American Essays, were recently collected in Essays from the Nick of Time (Graywolf Press). He lives with his wife and family outside New York City. (updated 4/2011)