Lee Martin is an American author. Born in Illinois, he lived on a farm ten miles from Sumner, which he regards as his home town.[1] He lived in Oak Forest, Illinois, and attended Kimberly Heights Elementary School, where his mother worked as a teacher, and Arbor Park Middle School from 1963 to 1969.[2] Martin was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2006 for his novel The Bright Forever and has published five novels, three memoirs, two story collections, and a craft book. He teaches in Ohio State University's creative writing program and lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Cathy, and Stella the Cat.[3] He earned his B.A. at Eastern Illinois University, an MFA at the University of Arkansas and a PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.[4][failed verification]