photo by Matt Godfrey

photo by Matt Godfrey

 

This is the page where I tell you who I am and how I got to the internet.

I'm the author of four books:

My short stories and essays have been published widely, and my short story "Things You're Not Proud of" was included in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2015. Here is a (probably incomplete) list of things I've written online: 

Along with Mike Ingram, I co-host the Book Fight podcast, which started in April 2012 and posts new episodes every other Monday (plus bonus Patreon episodes on the off weeks). We try to make book discussions accessible, funny, and more interesting than a freshman lit seminar. It's fun. An iTunes reviewer says, "Listening to Tom and Mike feels like eavesdropping on the most interesting conversation at a party." In 2015, we won a Philly Geek Award for Best Streaming Media Project. 

I also work as the nonfiction editor at the literary magazine and small press Barrelhouse. We publish online issues, print issues, and books, and run a ton of different readings, conferences, and other community events. I'm lucky to be able to work with a group of talented, generous, creative, weirdos who I think of as a second family. 

I grew up in Philly and graduated from La Salle University in 2004. I received an MFA from the University of Iowa, and I'm a Professor of Instruction in Temple University's English Department.

I live in South Jersey now, just outside of Philly with my wife, who is very good and surely hates how many pictures of her are on this website. 

I used to be very active on Twitter, but now I’m not. I am on Bluesky, in case that works out. I'm also on Instagram.

If you're interested in having me speak at your event, talk to your class, or participate in your writing conference, please contact me at tom.mcallister8 (at) gmail