Tom Montgomery Fate is the author of five books of nonfiction, including Steady and Trembling, Rice and Beans and Hope: Anecdotes and Analysis from Nicaragua, and Cabin Fever, his most recent book, which has been hailed by Kirkus as a collection of “beautifully written reflections on nature and the mindful life.”  His essays regularly appear in the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Globe, Orion, and Fourth Genre, and have often aired on National Public Radio. He teaches creative writing at the College of DuPage in suburban Chicago.

“The Nonfiction Writing Program was transformative for me.  However, as a 20-something small-town Iowa kid, it took me awhile to understand that writing and teaching are both an art, and that revision is not just about sentences but about how you live—how you perceive and receive and attend to the world.  Revision.  Look again.  Look until you can see.  I wrote and published my first book while in the program, but what I most remember is the remarkable faculty modeling the act of revision—with passion and patience—in and outside of the classroom.”