Picture an American storyteller who conjures ghosts and pig people in a decaying factory town—meet Micah Dean Hicks! This award-winning author from rural Arkansas weaves fantasy, horror, and modern fairy tales into stories that haunt and enchant. With a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship under his belt, Hicks crafts narratives that blur the magical and mundane, earning praise from critics and readers alike.
His debut novel, Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones, is a chilling yet heartfelt exploration of a ghost-ridden town, while his short story collection, Electricity and Other Dreams, spins bizarre fables that feel like Tim Burton directing a Southern gothic tale. Let’s dive into the world of Micah Dean Hicks, where the strange feels oddly familiar.
The Making of Micah Dean Hicks
Born in rural southwest Arkansas, Micah Dean Hicks grew up surrounded by tree-shrouded creeks and small-town quiet. As a boy, he filled notebooks with stories, inspired by summers in Spring Hill, Louisiana, and life on military bases due to his father’s service. This blend of Southern roots and transient childhood shaped his vivid, grounded storytelling. After earning a B.A. in English from Southern Arkansas University in 2008, Hicks honed his craft with an M.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Ph.D. from Florida State University, setting the stage for his literary career.
Micah Dean Hicks’s Unforgettable Stories
Hicks’s writing is a mesmerizing mix of Southern gothic, magical realism, and horror, often set in dying towns where the supernatural feels like an extension of everyday struggles. His debut novel, Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones (2019), follows a family in Swine Hill, where ghosts infest people and objects, reflecting themes of economic decline, racism, and resilience. Critics hailed it as “extraordinary,” blending Upton Sinclair’s grit with H.G. Wells’s weirdness.
His earlier work, Electricity and Other Dreams (2013), is a collection of 27 short stories—modern fables featuring killer crawfish, alligators in factories, and a weatherman who summons storms. This book, which won the 2012 New American Fiction Prize, showcases Hicks’s knack for blending the fantastical with the gritty. His stories have also appeared in prestigious outlets like The New York Times, Lightspeed, and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, earning him accolades like the Calvino Prize and Arts & Letters Prize.
Hicks’s style is deliberate and layered, often requiring multiple drafts to perfect. He describes himself as a “thinky writer,” plotting stories meticulously and revising ruthlessly, a process that yields tales both surreal and deeply human. His work tackles social issues like poverty and xenophobia through allegory, making the fantastical a lens for real-world pain.
Why Micah Dean Hicks Matters
Micah Dean Hicks’s impact lies in his ability to make the strange resonate universally. His stories, rooted in rural America, speak to readers far beyond Arkansas, offering a haunting commentary on economic and social struggles. As a creative writing professor at the University of Central Florida, Hicks inspires students with his inventive approach, encouraging them to explore bold narratives. His recognition as a 2020 NEA Creative Writing Fellow underscores his influence in blending genre fiction with literary depth, carving a niche for fabulist storytelling.
By giving voice to the overlooked—ghosts, outcasts, and crumbling towns—Hicks reminds us that even the weirdest tales can reflect our shared humanity. His work continues to captivate, proving that small-town stories can cast a global spell.
About Micah Dean Hicks
- Key Works: Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones (2019), Electricity and Other Dreams (2013)
- Awards: National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship (2020), Calvino Prize (2014), Arts & Letters Prize (2016)
- Hometown: Rural southwest Arkansas
- Current Role: Creative writing professor at the University of Central Florida
Snag Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones or Electricity and Other Dreams and dive into Micah Dean Hicks’s haunting blend of horror and heart!