Before earning her MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, M. Rickert worked as kindergarten teacher, coffee shop barista, Disneyland balloon vendor, and personnel assistant in Sequoia National Park. She is the winner of the Locus Award, Crawford Award, World Fantasy Award, and Shirley Jackson Award. Her third short story collection, You Have Never Been Here was published by Small Beer Press. She is a frequent contributor to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Her novel, The Shipbuilder of Bellfairie, which brings to mind The Confederacy of Dunces and Frankenstein in its exploration of flawed and tragic characters, will be published by Undertow Press.