Sam Lipsyte was born in 1968. He is the author of the story collections "Venus Drive" (named one of the top twenty-five books of its year by the Voice Literary Supplement) and "The Fun Parts "and three novels: "The Ask", "The Subject Steve" and "Home Land", which was a "New York Times" Notable Book and received the first annual Believer Book Award. He is also the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship. He lives in New York City and teaches at Columbia University.