Robert Klose lives and writes in Orono, Maine, where he raised his two adopted sons from Russia and Ukraine. He is a biology professor at the Bangor campus of the University of Maine at Augusta. Besides being a long-time contributor of essays to The Christian Science Monitor, he is the author of six books. His novel, "Long Live Grover Cleveland," published by Medallion Press, won both a USA BookNews Award and a Ben Franklin Literary Award. His other titles are "Adopting Alyosha—A Single Man Finds a Son in Russia," "Small Worlds—Adopted Sons, Pet Piranhas & Other Mortal Concerns," "The Three-Legged Woman & Other Excursions in Teaching," and a children's book, "The Legend of the River Pumpkins." His work has also appeared in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, Reader's Digest, Exquisite Corpse, and elsewhere. He is a four-time winner of the Maine Press Association's annual award for opinion writing. His latest novel, "Life on Mars," was published by Black Rose Writing in July 2019. It is a recipient of a Best Book Award, International Book Award, and American Fiction Award.