Mary Otis is the award-winning author of the short story collection Yes, Yes, Cherries. Her debut novel, Burst, was published by Zibby Books in April 2023. Her stories and essays have been published in Best New American Voices, Tin House, Los Angeles Times, Electric Literature, and in many other venues. Her story “Pilgrim Girl” received an honorable mention for a Pushcart Prize, and her story “Unstruck” was a Distinguished Story of the Year in Best American Short Stories. Mary is a fiction professor in the UC Riverside MFA Program and was honored to deliver the commencement speech for the graduating class of 2013. She is currently at work on a novel, excerpts of which were recently published in Zyzzyva andThe Los Angeles Review of Books Special Fiction Issue. Mary attended the Community of Writers in 2000 and 2001. www.maryotis.com