Patrick Ryan (author)
Encyclopedia
Patrick Eugene Ryan who has also written under the name P. E. Ryan, is an American
novelist and short story writer. His previous novel, 2009's In Mike We Trust
, was a Lambda Literary Award
finalist for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was named by Booklist
to its Rainbow List 2010 (bibliography of young adult books which include significant gay
, lesbian
, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning content).
Patrick Ryan was born in Washington, D.C.
, in 1965 and raised in Florida
. He received his bachelor's degree
from Florida State University
and his Master of Fine Arts
in 1990 from the Writing Program at Bowling Green State University
. He wrote short stories for about 10 years prior to the publication of his first novel. His stories have been published in Denver Quarterly
, The Iowa Review
, The Nebraska Review, One Story
, Ontario Review, The Yale Review
, and other journals. His story "Getting Heavy With Fate" received the 2005 Smart Family Foundation Award for Fiction. His story "So Much for Artemis" earned him a National Endowment for the Arts in Fiction and was included in The Best American Short Stories 2006.
His first novel was Send Me, a novel for adults that looks at three decades in the life of a dysfunctional family
. Send Me is written as a series of stand-alone short stories told out of chronological order. The stories interweave to create a puzzle effect. Each story reveals information the way clues in a mystery novel do. This forms a narrative as it creates a portrait of the Kerrigan family. The character of Joe Kerrigan is loosely autobiographical.
Celebrated author Edmund White
compared Ryan's writing to that of John Cheever
. Author Ann Patchett
chose the third chapter of the book (which had previously appeared in the literary magazine One Story) for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories 2006, an anthology
of short stories
. The Bay Area Reporter
called Send Me "a masterfully eventful novel...", while a reviewer at the Seattle Times said it was "a meticulously crafted, immensely satisfying piece of work."
Ryan followed up in 2008 with the young adult novel Saints of Augustine. Two best teenage friends, one gay and one not, struggle with family issues, drug abuse, divorce
, dating, and a rupture in their friendship. In 2009, he published a second young adult novel, In Mike We Trust, which examines a young man's relationship with his hip, cool, confident con artist
uncle as the older man attempts to lure him into a life of crime.
His most recent novel is 2011's Gemini Bites. Gemini Bites explores the world of a pair of twins in competition for the affections of a goth outsider.
Ryan is also an editor at GRANTA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist and short story writer. His previous novel, 2009's In Mike We Trust
In Mike We Trust
In Mike We Trust is a young adult gay novel by P. E. Ryan first published in 2009. It depicts a teenage gay boy who falls under the sway of his con artist uncle...
, was a Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Award
Lambda Literary Awards are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes. Categories include Humor, Romance and Biography. To qualify, a book must have been published in the United States in the year current to the award...
finalist for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was named by Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
to its Rainbow List 2010 (bibliography of young adult books which include significant gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning content).
Patrick Ryan was born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in 1965 and raised in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
and his Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in 1990 from the Writing Program at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
. He wrote short stories for about 10 years prior to the publication of his first novel. His stories have been published in Denver Quarterly
Denver Quarterly
The Denver Quarterly is a literary journal based at the University of Denver. Founded in 1966 by novelist John Williams.-Best American Short Stories:...
, The Iowa Review
The Iowa Review
The Iowa Review is an American literary magazine that publishes fiction, poetry, essays, and reviews.Founded in 1970, this magazine is issued three times a year, during the months of April, August, and December. Originally, it was released on a quarterly basis. This frequency of publication lasted...
, The Nebraska Review, One Story
One Story
One Story is a literary magazine which publishes 18 issues a year, each issue containing a single short story. The magazine was founded in 2002 by writers Hannah Tinti and Maribeth Batcha...
, Ontario Review, The Yale Review
The Yale Review
The Yale Review is the self-proclaimed oldest literary quarterly in the United States. It is published by Yale University.It was founded originally in 1819 as The Christian Spectator. At its origin it was published to support Evangelicalism, but over time began to publish more on history and...
, and other journals. His story "Getting Heavy With Fate" received the 2005 Smart Family Foundation Award for Fiction. His story "So Much for Artemis" earned him a National Endowment for the Arts in Fiction and was included in The Best American Short Stories 2006.
His first novel was Send Me, a novel for adults that looks at three decades in the life of a dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional family
A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often abuse on the part of individual members occur continually and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such an arrangement is...
. Send Me is written as a series of stand-alone short stories told out of chronological order. The stories interweave to create a puzzle effect. Each story reveals information the way clues in a mystery novel do. This forms a narrative as it creates a portrait of the Kerrigan family. The character of Joe Kerrigan is loosely autobiographical.
Celebrated author Edmund White
Edmund White
Edmund Valentine White III is an American author and literary critic. He is a member of the faculty of Princeton University's Program in Creative Writing.- Life and work :...
compared Ryan's writing to that of John Cheever
John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
. Author Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is an American author. She received the Orange Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 2002 for her novel Bel Canto. Patchett's other novels include Run, The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, and The Magician's Assistant, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize...
chose the third chapter of the book (which had previously appeared in the literary magazine One Story) for inclusion in The Best American Short Stories 2006, an anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
. The Bay Area Reporter
Bay Area Reporter
The Bay Area Reporter is a free weekly newspaper serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered communities in the San Francisco Bay Area; it is the oldest-continuously published, and one of the largest LGBT newspapers in the United States....
called Send Me "a masterfully eventful novel...", while a reviewer at the Seattle Times said it was "a meticulously crafted, immensely satisfying piece of work."
Ryan followed up in 2008 with the young adult novel Saints of Augustine. Two best teenage friends, one gay and one not, struggle with family issues, drug abuse, divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, dating, and a rupture in their friendship. In 2009, he published a second young adult novel, In Mike We Trust, which examines a young man's relationship with his hip, cool, confident con artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
uncle as the older man attempts to lure him into a life of crime.
His most recent novel is 2011's Gemini Bites. Gemini Bites explores the world of a pair of twins in competition for the affections of a goth outsider.
Ryan is also an editor at GRANTA.