Judson Merrill Updates his Bio

My literary career is young but it’s never too early to begin packing gauze into the abscess of posterity. For the benefit of scholars and fans alike, I will use this space on The Outlet, on a semi-regular basis, to release a selection of my correspondence and other papers. Enjoy. (Universities interested in acquiring the complete Judson Merrill archive should contact me through my web site.)

Judson Merrill studied fiction at Iowa with Kurt Vonnegut. This is his first published story. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their daughter Bianca.

Judson Merrill’s work has also recently appeared in Rabbit Punch. He is enjoying having the last laugh over all the magazines that have rejected him over the years. Those editors who passed on his work are free to reconsider and contact him through his website. They should be warned, however, that he is a principled man and has trouble doing business with people who have betrayed him in the past.

Judson Merrill has attended writer’s conferences at Haystack, Breadloaf and several other summer retreats. He’s got great new stories available to the highest bidder.

It has been three long years since Judson Merrill’s debut in Rabbit Punch. He apologizes whole-heartedly to any magazines or editors he may have offended in previous bios. He totally wants to make it up to you. Please email him. Judson lives in Brooklyn with his wife, their daughter Bianca, and the crushing burden of Bianca’s outlandish kindergarten tuition.

Judson Merrill’s work has been considered by dozens of magazines, including the New Yorker, Tin House, Granta, and Ploughshares. He firmly believes his attendance at Breadloaf advanced him as a writer and was not a “flight of vanity” or a “senseless drain” on his family’s finances. Judson’s new memoir about breaking into the publishing world, Rabbit Season, is available through his website.

Judson Merrill studied fiction in the state of Iowa, alongside the immortal Kurt Vonnegut. He has seen stories published in McSweeney’s, Harper’s, and Playboy. He is happy to execute commercial fiction ideas, renouncing all royalties and ownership, for a reasonable advance.

Though the initial print run might have been a tad enthusiastic, the early critical response to Judson Merrill’s “devastating” memoir, Rabbit Season, has been spirited. He lives in Brooklyn where his wife is slowly trying to drain the creativity out of him and badger him into law school.

Judson Merrill’s work has been featured in Rabbit Punch and in the comments section of the New York Times City Room blog as well as on Facebook and at judsonmerrill.com. (Visit that website for a blowout sale of Judson’s self-published memoir!). He lives in Brooklyn near his ex-wife who likes the idea of Judson being a writer but, as a practical matter, is incapable of supporting his work.

Judson Merrill once spent a week in an Iowa motel reading magazines. He is legally obligated to use this space to state that he does not have nor has ever had any contact with or connection to Kurt Vonnegut or the Kurt Vonnegut estate. Look for Judson’s new story about the burden of alimony and child support!

Joyce Carol Oates didn’t think it was so stupid for Judson Merrill to go to Breadloaf. At her reading, when he asked how to get published, she said, “Great question.” He lives in Brooklyn, a court-mandated 300 yards away from his ex-wife. He apologizes to his daughter for giving in to her mother and allowing the name Bianca. It was a colossal mistake.

–Judson Merrill lives and writes in Brooklyn. Some of his work, including his e-novella The Pool, can be found at judsonmerrill.com.

See the full JM archives here.