David James Duncan is the author of the classic novels The River Why and The Brothers K, the story collection River Teeth, the nonfiction collection and National Book Award finalist, My Story as Told by Water, and the bestselling collection of “churchless sermons,” God Laughs & Plays. His most recent book, Sun House, has been lauded as “one of the greatest imaginative achievements I’ve encountered in a lifetime of reading,” by writer William deBuys.

Duncan’s work has won three Pacific Northwest Booksellers Awards, two Pushcart Prizes, a Lannan Fellowship, the Western States Book Award, the American Library Association’s 2004 Award for the Preservation of Intellectual Freedom (with co-author Wendell Berry), and other honors. His writing has appeared in Best American Sports Writing, Best American Catholic Writing, two volumes of Best American Essays, and five volumes of Best American Spiritual Writing. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Portland.