William Orem writes about spiritual quest across different cultures and times. He also has a series of sub-interests, from modern science to the literary gothic. The book Zombi, You My Love, is set at a mission in Haiti during the last summer of the Duvalier regime; Across the River is a linked series of stories, each of which takes place in a different room of a Georgetown hospital; Killer of Crying Deer is a spiritual struggle set in 1699 in what are now known as the Florida Keys, while the poetry collection Our Purpose In Speaking alternates between formal and free verse in examining the different facets of a Catholic childhood. The common thread among them all is the authentic search for the soul. Miss Lucy, winner of the Gival Press Novel Award, is historical fiction about the life of Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, and examines the many ways in which books, and writers, can be haunted. Zombi, You My Love, won the GLCA New Writers Award in 2000, previously given to Sherman Alexie, Alice Munro, Louise Erdrich, and Richard Ford. Across the River won the Texas Review Novella Prize; Killer of Crying Deer won the Eric Hoffer Award and has been optioned for film, while Our Purpose In Speaking won the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize, and William has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize in fiction, poetry, and essay. William grew up in Maryland and on Capitol Hill, both of which figure regularly in his work. His play THE SEABIRDS, winner of the Manduzmar New Plays Award, takes place inside a lighthouse on Chesapeake Bay during the Civil War, and his other short plays have been performed both around the country and internationally. Currently he is a Writer-in-Residence at Emerson College. More info at williamorem.com.