Nick Kowalczyk holds an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa in the field of creative nonfiction. A former reporter for The Kansas City Star, he has published essays and articles in Salon.com, Edible Finger Lakes, Men’s Edge, Ninth Letter, and American Literary Review. In 2008, one of his articles was cited in Best American Essays. In 2011, he was a founding editor of a locally focused, green-living magazine titled Fresh Dirt, Ithaca, which grew out of an Ithaca College class and included articles by several students. A faculty member since 2008, he teaches the courses Feature Writing, Magazine Writing, Writing Nonfiction, Travel Writing, and Personal Essay.