Dinty W. Moore


Dinty W. Moore is an American essayist and writer of both fiction and non-fiction books. He received the Grub Street National Book Prize for Non-Fiction for his memoir, Between Panic and Desire, in 2008.

Life and career

Dinty W. Moore was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, the son of William P. "Buddy" Moore, an automotive mechanic, and Mary Catherine O'Brien, a former journalist. His name derives from a character in the comic strip Bringing Up Father.
Moore earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977. After graduation, he worked as a reporter for United Press International until 1979. He then worked at Falling Springs Films in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. From 1980–1984, he was an actor and dancer. He also served as an editor at the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania from 1985–1987.
In 1990, Moore completed his Master of Fine Arts in writing at the Louisiana State University. He taught creative writing at Penn State Altoona from 1990 to 2007 and he is currently Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Ohio University.
Moore's essays and stories have appeared in The Southern Review, The Georgia Review, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Arts & Letters, The Gettysburg Review, Utne Reader, and Crazyhorse. Moore launched the online literary magazine Brevity in 1997, which focuses on short creative nonfiction essays with a maximum of 750 words. He is also on the editorial board of Creative Nonfiction magazine, and sat on the board of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs from 2006 to 2011, serving as Board President in his final year.

Works

Non-fiction

Short story collections

Books on the craft of writing