Chad Simpson

About Me

I like to write stories. Short ones, long ones. Some of them have appeared in magazines like McSweeney's, Sycamore Review, New South, Barrelhouse, and The Sun. I think I finally just finished my collection, tentatively titled All I Have in the World. Now I'm going to either get back to work on my young adult novel or start a new novel, based on one of the stories I recently finished writing that didn't really want to end. Probably, though: I'll keep writing shorter stories, too. I can't help myself.

When I'm not writing, I like to teach, play poker, and watch college football and the Cubs. This could be the year they end the streak, sure, but I'm doing my best not to get my hopes up.

Why do you write?

Usually I just want to move people.

Now that I've written that: Maybe I'm setting the bar a little low.

Any favorite authors? Books?

Charles Baxter, Amy Hempel, Dennis Lehane, Mary Gaitskill, Raymond Carver, AM Homes, Peter Orner, Lydia Davis, Dan Chaon, ZZ Packer, Junot Diaz, Mary Robison, George Pelecanos, Anne Carson, Charles D'Ambrosio, Susan Steinberg, Denis Johnson, Mary Miller, Greg Bottoms, Christine Schutt, William H. Gass, Joy Williams, Tobias Wolff, Elizabeth Tallent, Mark Costello, Kelly Link, Mark Richard, Aimee Bender, David Schickler, and so on and so on and so on.