Merle Drown, a native of northern New England, is the author of stories, essays, plays, reviews and two novels, Plowing Up a Snake (The Dial Press) and The Suburbs of Heaven (Soho Press, 2000), trade paperback (Berkley Press, 2001). Along with John Cawelti he edited Meteor in the Madhouse, the posthumous novellas of Leon Forrest, published by Northwestern University Press in 2001. The Suburbs of Heaven, chosen by Barnes and Noble for its Discover Great New Writers series, has been given rave reviews by the New York Times, Newsday and other media.

He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the NH Arts Council.

The father of three sons, Merle lives with his wife Pat in Concord, New Hampshire. He teaches in Southern New Hampshire University’s MFA program.