Courtney Angela Brkic is the author of The First Rule of Swimming (Little, Brown and Company, 2013), Stillness: and Other Stories (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003), and The Stone Fields (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004). Her work has also appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, Harpers & Queen, the Utne Reader, TriQuarterly, The Alaska Quarterly Review, and National Geographic, among others. Brkic has been the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Whiting Award. Stillness was named a Barnes & Noble Discover pick, a 2003 Chicago Tribune “Best Book,” and a 2003 New York Times “Notable Book.” The Stone Fields was shortlisted for a Freedom of Expression Award by the Index on Censorship. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband and son, and teaches in the MFA program at George Mason University.