Steven Lee Gilbert

When Steve was fourteen years old he lived in a log cabin by a small creek next to some woods and dreamt of becoming a Forest Ranger. He loved the outdoors and the wild so much it was easy for him to envision a future dedicated to its conservation. Then one day a mindful English teacher suggested he enter an essay contest about protecting our natural resources. He did and won and because of this sign of some hint of a talent, along with the lasting effect of having been recognized for something, from that moment forward his plans changed and he set forth to become a writer, which turned out to be a long and windy road, but one he considered necessary to not become also dull and unimaginative. Along the way he learned a great deal about life and himself and discovered many good subjects to write about, none of which include nature or protecting the environment. But as he said upon his receipt of a Durham Arts Council Emerging Artist Grant for Literature, "You just never can guess what the future may hold." He is the author of the novel, A Lovely, Indecent Departure, and has served on the faculty of the YTWW since 2007, every year of which reminds him of his old English teacher and the promise of young, passionate talent.

You can read more about him at www.stevenleegilbert.com.