Aimee Bender is an American novelist and short story writer, known for her surreal stories and characters. She is a 2011 recipient of the Alex Awards. Bender has received two Pushcart Prizes, and was nominated for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award in 2005. Her short story, Faces was a 2009 Shirley Jackson Award finalist. In 2009 Bender became the sitting judge for the Flatmancrooked Writing Prize, a writing award from Flatmancrooked Publishing for new short fiction. Bender’s works have also been published in Granta, GQ, Harper’s, Tin House, Opium Magazine, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, The Coffin Factory, and several anthologies. She has also been heard on This American Life and Selected Shorts. Check out Aimee’s website here: http://aimeebender.com/ and watch the livestream here: https://idyllwildarts.zoom.us/j/91848224992