Angela Pelster’s first essay collection, Limber, has been described as “a collision of 'The Wizard of Oz' and the Book of Revelation” by the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her work has appeared in Hotel Amerika, Granta, Seneca Review, Fourth Genre, the Gettysburg Review and many other places.  Her children’s book, The Curious Adventures of India Sophie, was published by Riverhead Books and won the Alberta Golden Eagle Children’s Choice Award.  A native of Canada, Angela now teaches creative writing at Hamline University in Minneapolis.

“Back when I was debating over the decision about whether or not to attend the Nonfiction Writing Program, I discussed the pros and cons of it with my best friend – I was a single mom at the time, living in a basement and trying to cover my bills with part time jobs so I could have time to write. It was a scary decision to make, but my friend said, ‘Angela, you want to be a writer, and that isn’t an easy thing. If you’re going to do that, you need the best possible springboard to launch from, and Iowa is it.’ And she was right. My time in the NWP was an incredible gift – there are few opportunities in life when all available resources are poured into your creative development – but for three years, I got to pursue every idea, form, voice, subject and style of writing that I was interested in and then receive feedback from a community that passionately cared about the art of the essay. It was a remarkable time that changed the direction of my writing and so, also, changed the direction of my life.”