Michael W. Fedo

Michael Fedo is a Minnesota author of 11 published books. Prior to embarking on a writing career, he was a comic/folksinger for several years, touring clubs, coffee houses, and college campuses in the Midwest. He also spent 32 years teaching public speaking at colleges in Ohio, Wisconsin, New York, and Minnesota. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, and numerous other newspapers. He has been a contributing editor of RUNNERS WORLD, and has published fiction and essays in many national and regional magazines, such as MCCALL'S SPORTS AFIELD, AMERICAN WAY, AMERICA, and numerous literary quarterlies. His essays have also been broadcast on Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Florida Public Radio. His short stories have been nominated for Pushcart prizes, and twice were finalists for Maggies, awarded for best fiction appearing in consumer magazines published west of the Mississippi River. Two of his books, "Zenith City: Stories from Duluth," and "Don't Quit Your Day Job: The Adventures of a Midlist Author," were finalists for Northeast Minnesota Book Awards. He is married to his first reader, Judith, and has two daughters, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He's also an avid freshwater fisherman. His website is michaelfedo.com.

His new book, "Art's Place: Stories & Diversions," is a collection of 27 humor/satire short stories, which has garnered several pre-publication strong reviews.

The previous book, "Don't Quit Your Day Job: The Adventures of a Midlist Author," is just that, a memoir of my 5-decade writing career, which includes 10 non-best-selling books. James Fallows, in his cover blurb says, "This is a wry and amusing look at the challenges, rewards, and practicalities of making your living (and life) through the written word."

"Zenith City: Stories From Duluth," is a memoir-in-essays about the formative quarter-century I spent in my hometown, surrounded by a diverse mix of Scandinavians, Germans, Jews, and of course, my own family: Italian-Swedish-German, and an almost indecipherable smidgen of Icelandic. My stories are mostly character driven, based on the foibles and quiddities of folks I grew up with. The book is a mix of humor and poignancy. Though Duluth-centered, the stories could just as easily have been located in anywhere, USA.

Most notable of my earlier books is "The Lynchings in Duluth," which recently received a second edition, with a new intro and several additions. James Fallows of THE ATLANTIC calls it "A genuinely startling and illuminating contribution to our understanding of racial justice in the United States."