Dan Chaon (born 1964) is a notable American writer. Chaon's last name is pronounced "Shawn".
His first novel was You Remind Me of Me (2004). His short-story collections Fitting Ends (1996) and Among the Missing (2001) were both well-received; the latter was a finalist for a National Book Award and was also named one of the year's ten best books by the American Library Association and as a notable book of the year by The New York Times.. His 2012 short story collection, Stay Awake, was a finalist for The Story Prize.
Chaon was adopted and grew up in a village of 20 people outside of Sidney, Nebraska. His father was a construction worker and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. As a middle schooler, Chaon wrote a fan letter to Ray Bradbury, beginning a correspondence that continued for several years. Chaon graduated from Northwestern and received his MFA from Syracuse. He was married to the late writer Sheila Schwartz and has two teenage sons. He lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and teaches creative writing at Oberlin College, where he has worked with such students as Ishmael Beah, Emma Straub, and Lena Dunham.
Dan Chaon shares the writing advice he received from Ray Bradbury
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller "Ill Will" and National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing"—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. He shared with us two pieces of writing advice that Bradbury gave him, which he now shares with his students at Oberlin.
He also recommends two current authors who have grabbed his attention.
published: 18 May 2017
Dan Chaon talks about what haunts him
Dan Chaon has written some haunting stories, including the recent bestseller "Ill Will" and the National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing." He explained to us what haunts him and how he uses that in his writing.
published: 18 May 2017
Dan Chaon presents Sleepwalk in conversation with Shawn Vestal
Sleepwalk (Henry Holt) is a high speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelist Dan Chaon. Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At 50 years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. He has lots of connections, but no true ties. Hi...
published: 15 Jun 2022
Dan Chaon: 2017 National Book Festival
Dan Chaon discusses "Ill Will" at the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Speaker Biography: Dan Chaon is a novelist and short story writer. Chaon completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern and received his M.A. from Syracuse. His work "Among the Missing" was a 2001 finalist for the National Book Award. Currently, he is the Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Oberlin College. The national best-seller "Ill Will" is his newest novel.
For transcript and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8105
published: 27 Nov 2017
Dan Chaon: Sleepwalk w/ Rumaan Alam
Buy SLEEPWALK, as well as Dan and Rumaan's backlist, here: https://booksaremagic.net/sleepwalk!!
published: 25 May 2022
Dan Chaon discusses Ill Will's "soundtrack"
Music has always influenced Dan Chaon's writing, and Chaon tells us what songs influenced his new bestseller, "Ill Will."
He also explains why writing for television is even more frustrating than writing a novel.
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller "Ill Will" and National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing"—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. He shared wit...
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller "Ill Will" and National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing"—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. He shared with us two pieces of writing advice that Bradbury gave him, which he now shares with his students at Oberlin.
He also recommends two current authors who have grabbed his attention.
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller "Ill Will" and National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing"—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. He shared with us two pieces of writing advice that Bradbury gave him, which he now shares with his students at Oberlin.
He also recommends two current authors who have grabbed his attention.
Dan Chaon has written some haunting stories, including the recent bestseller "Ill Will" and the National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing." He explained t...
Dan Chaon has written some haunting stories, including the recent bestseller "Ill Will" and the National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing." He explained to us what haunts him and how he uses that in his writing.
Dan Chaon has written some haunting stories, including the recent bestseller "Ill Will" and the National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing." He explained to us what haunts him and how he uses that in his writing.
Sleepwalk (Henry Holt) is a high speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelis...
Sleepwalk (Henry Holt) is a high speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelist Dan Chaon. Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At 50 years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. He has lots of connections, but no true ties. His longest relationships are with an old rescue dog that has post-traumatic stress, and a childhood friend as deeply entrenched in the underworld as he is, who, lately, he’s less and less sure he can trust. Out of the blue, one of Will's many burner phones heralds a call from a 20-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she’s the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he’s half certain she’s AI. She needs his help. She’s entrenched in a widespread and nefarious plot involving Will’s employers, and for Will to continue to have any contact with her increasingly fuzzes the line between the people he is working for and the people he’s running from. With his signature blend of haunting emotional realism and fast-paced intrigue, Chaon populates his fractured America with characters who ring all too true. Gazing both back to the past and forward to an inevitable-enough-seeming future, Sleepwalk examines where we’ve been and where we’re going and the connections that bind us, no matter how far we travel to dodge them or how cleverly we hide. Chaon was joined in conversation by Shawn Vestal, author of Godforsaken Idaho.
Get a copy of Sleepwalk here: https://www.powells.com/book/sleepwalk-9781250175212
Sleepwalk (Henry Holt) is a high speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelist Dan Chaon. Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At 50 years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. He has lots of connections, but no true ties. His longest relationships are with an old rescue dog that has post-traumatic stress, and a childhood friend as deeply entrenched in the underworld as he is, who, lately, he’s less and less sure he can trust. Out of the blue, one of Will's many burner phones heralds a call from a 20-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she’s the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he’s half certain she’s AI. She needs his help. She’s entrenched in a widespread and nefarious plot involving Will’s employers, and for Will to continue to have any contact with her increasingly fuzzes the line between the people he is working for and the people he’s running from. With his signature blend of haunting emotional realism and fast-paced intrigue, Chaon populates his fractured America with characters who ring all too true. Gazing both back to the past and forward to an inevitable-enough-seeming future, Sleepwalk examines where we’ve been and where we’re going and the connections that bind us, no matter how far we travel to dodge them or how cleverly we hide. Chaon was joined in conversation by Shawn Vestal, author of Godforsaken Idaho.
Get a copy of Sleepwalk here: https://www.powells.com/book/sleepwalk-9781250175212
Dan Chaon discusses "Ill Will" at the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Speaker Biography: Dan Chaon is a novelist and short...
Dan Chaon discusses "Ill Will" at the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Speaker Biography: Dan Chaon is a novelist and short story writer. Chaon completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern and received his M.A. from Syracuse. His work "Among the Missing" was a 2001 finalist for the National Book Award. Currently, he is the Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Oberlin College. The national best-seller "Ill Will" is his newest novel.
For transcript and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8105
Dan Chaon discusses "Ill Will" at the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Speaker Biography: Dan Chaon is a novelist and short story writer. Chaon completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern and received his M.A. from Syracuse. His work "Among the Missing" was a 2001 finalist for the National Book Award. Currently, he is the Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Oberlin College. The national best-seller "Ill Will" is his newest novel.
For transcript and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8105
Music has always influenced Dan Chaon's writing, and Chaon tells us what songs influenced his new bestseller, "Ill Will."
He also explains why writing for tele...
Music has always influenced Dan Chaon's writing, and Chaon tells us what songs influenced his new bestseller, "Ill Will."
He also explains why writing for television is even more frustrating than writing a novel.
Music has always influenced Dan Chaon's writing, and Chaon tells us what songs influenced his new bestseller, "Ill Will."
He also explains why writing for television is even more frustrating than writing a novel.
When he was 13, Dan Chaon—the author of bestseller "Ill Will" and National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing"—corresponded with Ray Bradbury. He shared with us two pieces of writing advice that Bradbury gave him, which he now shares with his students at Oberlin.
He also recommends two current authors who have grabbed his attention.
Dan Chaon has written some haunting stories, including the recent bestseller "Ill Will" and the National Book Award finalist "Among the Missing." He explained to us what haunts him and how he uses that in his writing.
Sleepwalk (Henry Holt) is a high speed and darkly comic road trip through a near-future America with a big-hearted mercenary, from beloved and acclaimed novelist Dan Chaon. Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At 50 years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. He has lots of connections, but no true ties. His longest relationships are with an old rescue dog that has post-traumatic stress, and a childhood friend as deeply entrenched in the underworld as he is, who, lately, he’s less and less sure he can trust. Out of the blue, one of Will's many burner phones heralds a call from a 20-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she’s the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he’s half certain she’s AI. She needs his help. She’s entrenched in a widespread and nefarious plot involving Will’s employers, and for Will to continue to have any contact with her increasingly fuzzes the line between the people he is working for and the people he’s running from. With his signature blend of haunting emotional realism and fast-paced intrigue, Chaon populates his fractured America with characters who ring all too true. Gazing both back to the past and forward to an inevitable-enough-seeming future, Sleepwalk examines where we’ve been and where we’re going and the connections that bind us, no matter how far we travel to dodge them or how cleverly we hide. Chaon was joined in conversation by Shawn Vestal, author of Godforsaken Idaho.
Get a copy of Sleepwalk here: https://www.powells.com/book/sleepwalk-9781250175212
Dan Chaon discusses "Ill Will" at the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
Speaker Biography: Dan Chaon is a novelist and short story writer. Chaon completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern and received his M.A. from Syracuse. His work "Among the Missing" was a 2001 finalist for the National Book Award. Currently, he is the Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing and Literature at Oberlin College. The national best-seller "Ill Will" is his newest novel.
For transcript and more information, visit http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8105
Music has always influenced Dan Chaon's writing, and Chaon tells us what songs influenced his new bestseller, "Ill Will."
He also explains why writing for television is even more frustrating than writing a novel.
Dan Chaon (born 1964) is a notable American writer. Chaon's last name is pronounced "Shawn".
His first novel was You Remind Me of Me (2004). His short-story collections Fitting Ends (1996) and Among the Missing (2001) were both well-received; the latter was a finalist for a National Book Award and was also named one of the year's ten best books by the American Library Association and as a notable book of the year by The New York Times.. His 2012 short story collection, Stay Awake, was a finalist for The Story Prize.
Chaon was adopted and grew up in a village of 20 people outside of Sidney, Nebraska. His father was a construction worker and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. As a middle schooler, Chaon wrote a fan letter to Ray Bradbury, beginning a correspondence that continued for several years. Chaon graduated from Northwestern and received his MFA from Syracuse. He was married to the late writer Sheila Schwartz and has two teenage sons. He lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and teaches creative writing at Oberlin College, where he has worked with such students as Ishmael Beah, Emma Straub, and Lena Dunham.
in conversation in conversation in conversation in conversation, your mind is acting now to take what's coming could make you change your mind piece of the action, look who's in pieces now it turns me 'round and around i'm struggling, i'm waiting, watching for the sidelines it's obvious i'm chasing, there's got to be an answer distraction takes over when i'm deep in conversation i'm looking & learning that my heart is running faster all the while when i say i'm sorry, it's not that i'm afraid guess i'll have to guess again one day it happens, next day it's all at rest who made this happen to me? i'm struggling, i'm waiting, watching for the sidelines it's obvious i'm chasing, there's got to be an answer distraction takes over when i'm deep in conversation i'm looking & learning that my heart is running faster all the while in conversation... in conversation, our minds are acting now let's ask those questions again whay am i angry? why am i doing this? i made this happen to me i'm struggling, i'm waiting, watching for the sidelines it's obvious i'm chasing, there's got to be an answer distraction takes over when i'm deep in conversation i'm looking & learning that my heart is running faster all the while aahh aahh aahh aahh