ABOUT DANIEL HECHT

Daniel Hecht was born in New York State and has lived in Manila, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Vermont. After a twenty-year career as solo guitarist and recording artist – readers may be familiar with his Windham Hill album Willow and other recordings -- he gave up music in 1988 to pursue writing. He earned his MFA in Writing from the University of Iowa Writers Workshop in 1992, and published his first novel, Skull Session, in 1998.

Along the way, he has worked as a carpenter, mailman, logger, sculptor, graphics designer, musical instrument builder, and college administrator. Besides literature, his interests include history, neuroscience, long-distance swimming, social theory, shamanism, philosophy, and forensics.

In addition to writing, he pursues a wide range of environment-related work. He now serves as project coordinator for a $600,000 feasibility study to help design and construct a pioneering food-waste-to-energy biodigester facility at Vermont Technical College.

Why so many professions and interests? “I was born into a community of artists and craftsmen, so as a kid I absorbed some knowledge and affection for various arts and sciences through my skin. Later on, when I had to make a living, the various skills proved useful. It’s true that necessity -- or, more accurately, desperation! -- is the mother of invention. A checkered career is a great preparation for being a writer, because it gives you a sense of how the world works and how different kinds of people think and act. It’s also useful for the environmental work I do. My motley mix of experiences gave me a good general understanding of science, technology, social institutions. And all those different jobs taught me how to get things done.”

He now lives in Vermont where he writes full time.