John Biguenet

He has published seven books, including Oyster and The Torturer's Apprentice Stories, released in the United States by Ecco/HarperCollins and widely translated, as well as six plays.

As a guest columnist and blogger for The New York Times, Biguenet wrote about his return to New Orleans after its catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina and the city's efforts.

Two of his stories have been featured in Selected Shorts at Symphony Space on Broadway, Long Wharf Theatre, and elsewhere.

Rising Water was the winner of the 2006 National New Play Network Commission Award, a 2006 National Showcase of New Plays selection and a 2007 recipient of an Access to Artistic Excellence development and production grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as the 2007 Big Easy Theatre Award for Best Original Play, it has had numerous productions around the country.

Shotgun, the second play in his Rising Water cycle, premiered in 2009 at Southern Rep Theatre, with subsequent productions at the Orlando Shakespeare Theater and Florida Studio Theatre, both in 2010; it won a 2009 National New Play Network Continued Life of New Plays Fund Award and was a 2009 recipient of an Access to Artistic Excellence development and production grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.