William Orem writes about spiritual quest and philosophical questions. His stories, poems and short plays have been published in over 100 literary journals, including The Princeton Arts Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Sou'wester and The New Formalist.
His first story collection, Zombi, You My Love, won the GLCA New Writers Award, previously given to Louise Erdrich, Sherman Alexie, Richard Ford and Alice Munro.
His second story collection, Across the River, won the Clay Reynolds Novella Prize.
His first novel, Killer of Crying Deer, won the Eric Hoffer Award and has been optioned for film.
His second novel, Miss Lucy, won the Gival Press Novel Award. Kirkus listed it as one of the Best Books of the Year.
His first collection of poems, Our Purpose in Speaking, won the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize and the Rubery International Book Award in poetry.
His first full-length play, The Seabirds, won the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition and was staged at Alleyway Theater in Buffalo. It has subsequently been performed in Boston, Lafayette (LA), and, as a staged reading, at Urban Stages in Manhattan.
His shorter plays have been performed in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Louisville, San Diego, Charlottesville, Durango, Salem, and eight times in Boston. They have won both the Critics' Choice and Audience Favorite Awards at TheaterFest Colorado, and have three times been nominated for the Heideman Award at Actors Theater.
Overseas, they have been seen in Canberra (Australia) and Manipal (Dubai).
He has been five times nominated for the Pushcart Prize: once in poetry, twice in fiction, once in creative nonfiction, and once by general invitation of the committee.
Currently he is a Senior Writer-In-Residence at
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