Eugene Cross is the author of the short story collection “Fires of Our Choosing,” which was long listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. He was born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania and received an MFA from The University of Pittsburgh. His stories have appeared in Narrative Magazine, American Short Fiction, Story Quarterly,TriQuarterly, and Callaloo, among other publications. His work was also listed among the 2010 Best American Short Stories’ 100 Distinguished Stories. He is the recipient of scholarships from the Chautauqua Writers’ Festival and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, as well as a fellowship from the 2012 Sewanee Writers’ Conference. He currently lives in Chicago where he teaches fiction at Northwestern and Columbia College Chicago. He can be found online at eugenecross.com
Chad Simpson talks with Eugene Cross about writing the Midwest, choosing his debut collection from fifty stories, and all the jobs he worked (security guard, juvenile probation officer, AmeriCorps) on his way to becoming a teacher.
