William Gay writes darkly humorous short stories and novels that are imbued with the ripe landscape and stoic characters of the rural American South. He has been compared with William Faulkner for his lush, metaphorical language and strong regional voice. A longtime carpenter and construction worker, Gay published his first book of stories at the age of fifty-five. His first novel, The Long Home, published a year later, won the James Michener Memorial Prize. He has published three novels and three short story collections.