Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1982, William R. Soldan grew up in and around the Rust Belt city of Youngstown, Ohio, with a brief stint in the hills of southern Oregon. A high school dropout and college graduate, he holds a BA in English Literature from Youngstown State University and an MFA from the Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts program. Over the years, he has been employed as a factory machinist, maintenance man, house painter, record store clerk, line-cook, bartender, bouncer, writing instructor, personal trainer, and a host of other things. William’s work draws greatly from the urban and rural landscapes of the post-industrial Midwest–the stark beauty, the resonant history, the strength and endurance of its grappling working-class.
Three times nominated for a Pushcart Prize, as well a nominations for Best of the Net and Best Small Fictions, William’s work appears in publications such as New World Writing, Elm Leaves Journal, Thuglit, Reckon Review, Tough, The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 (with a distinguished mention in 2018), and many others. His books include the story collections In Just the Right Light (Unsolicited Press, 2019), Lost in the Furrows (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2020), and Houses Burning and Other Ruins (Shotgun Honey Books, 2021); the poetry collection So Fast, So Close (Close to the Bone Publications, 2020); and, most recently, the novel Undone Valley (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2021).
William currently resides in Youngstown with his wife and two children and can be found on Twitter @RustWriter1.
William R. Soldan 