Born in St. Louis, Nick Reding received his BA in creative writing and English literature from Northwestern University in 1994. He lived in New York City for thirteen years, where he worked as a magazine editor, a graduate school professor, and a freelance writer. His first book, The Last Cowboys at the End of the World, was published in 2001, and his second book, Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town, was published in 2009. He has written for Harper’s Magazine, Food & Wine, Outside, Fast Company, and Details.