Stephen Schottenfeld

Stephen Schottenfeld

Professor of English

MFA, University of Iowa

Office Location
414 Morey Hall

Research Overview

Stephen Schottenfeld is the author of two novels: Bluff City Pawn (Bloomsbury 2014), and This Room Is Made of Noise (University of Wisconsin Press, 2023). His narratives often trace the work lives of his characters—pawnbrokers, postal carriers, telephone repairmen, home inspectors, police detectives, clothing manufacturers, trailer-park owners, to name a few—and explore how these professions bring an individual into a unique set of experiences and conflicts and expressions. His stories have been published in numerous literary magazines and have garnered a Michener/Copernicus Society of America grant, a Halls Fiction Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, a Shane Stevens Fellowship in the Novel from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and special mentions in both the Pushcart Prize and Best American Short Stories anthologies.

Research Interests

  • Modern and contemporary literature
  • fiction writing
  • playwriting
  • screenwriting

Selected Publication Covers

Cover: This Room is Made of Noise, a novel
Bluff City Pawn, a novel

Selected Publications

  • This Room Is Made of Noise, a novel, University of Wisconsin Press, 2023
  • Bluff City Pawn, a novel, Bloomsbury 2014
  • "Summer Avenue," a novella, in  (winter 2010)
  • "Artie Gottlieb, Consulting Philosopher," in Virginia Quarterly Review 82.2 (2006)
  • "Stonewall and Jackson," in New England Review 27.1 (2006)
  • "The Shiva," in Massachusetts Review 47.1 (2006)
  • "Miss Ellen Jameson is Not Deceased," in TriQuarterly 117 (2003)
  • "Mr. Gaffney Lives in Mont Peculiar," in StoryQuarterly 38 (2002)
  • "Trick or Treat," in Mississippi Review 8.3 (2002)
  • "Yards," in Crescent Review 16.2 (2001)
  • "Rose," in TriQuarterly 107/108 (2000)
  • "Obituaries," in Iowa Review 29.3 (1999)
  • "Fight or Flight," in Maryland Review 11 (1999)
  • "The Bullet," in Gulf Coast 10.2 (1998)
  • "The Test Set," in Coe Review 28 (1998)
  • "Sole Man," in Isthmus 28.5 (2003)

Teaching

  • Courses in fiction writing, modern and contemporary literature, playwriting, screenwriting

Honors

  • Shane Stevens Fellowship in the Novel, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, 2014
  • James P. Wilmot Assistant Professor, July 2013-June 2015
  • Pushcart Prize Anthology, Special Mention, 2012
  • James Jones First Novel Fellowship, Semi-Finalist, 2011
  • Iowa Short Fiction Prize, Semi-Finalist, 2009
  • Quarterly West Novella Prize, Finalist, 2009
  • Best American Short Stories Anthology, Distinguished Story, 2007
  • Bread Loaf Tuition Scholarship, 2007
  • Pushcart Prize Anthology, Special Mention, 2005
  • Pushcart Prize Anthology, Nomination, 2003
  • Indiana Review Fiction Prize, Finalist, 2002
  • Pushcart Prize Anthology, Special Mention, 2001
  • Glimmer Train's Very Short Fiction Award, Finalist, summer 2000
  • Michener-Copernicus Society of America Award, 1999-2000
  • Halls Fiction Fellow, University of Wisconsin at Madison, 1998-99
  • Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers, Finalist, fall 1998