Christopher Castellani

Christopher Castellani is a highly regarded historical fiction novelist, born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. He is the son of Italian immigrants and his heritage has greatly influenced his writing. Castellani has written four novels, including "All This Talk of Love" which was a New York Times Editors' Choice, "A Kiss from Maddalena" - winner of the Massachusetts Book Award, and "The Saint of Lost Things", a BookSense (IndieBound) Notable Book. In addition to his novels, Castellani has also published a book of essays on the craft of fiction, titled "The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story".

Castellani's most recent novel, "Leading Men", was published in February 2019 and has received critical acclaim. The novel has been optioned for film by Peter Spears and Luca Guadagnino, with a screenplay adaptation by Matthew Lopez. Castellani has been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, MacDowell, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council for his work on "Leading Men". He is also a faculty member at the Warren Wilson College Low-Residency MFA program and the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. In 2015, Castellani was awarded the "Writer for Writers" Award given by Barnes & Noble and Poets & Writers in recognition of his contributions to the literary community and his generosity toward fellow writers. He is the founder of the Muse and the Marketplace literary conference, organized by GrubStreet, where he works as Artistic Director.