Pauls Harijs Toutonghi | |
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Born | 1976 (age 47–48) Seattle, Washington |
Occupation |
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Alma mater | |
Years active | 2000—present |
Notable awards | Pushcart Prize, 2000 |
Spouse | Peyton Marshall |
Children | 2 |
Website | |
paulstoutonghi |
Pauls Harijs Toutonghi (born 1976)[1] is a first-generation American fiction and non-fiction writer. He was born in Seattle, Washington,[1] to immigrant parents. His mother emigrated from Latvia,[2] his father emigrated from Egypt and was of Syrian descent.[3][4][5]
His first novel, Red Weather, was published by Random House/Shaye Areheart Books in 2006.[6] His second, Evel Knievel Days, was published by Random House/Crown in 2012.[7]
Red Weather was widely—and favorably—reviewed.[8] Toutonghi has published work in Sports Illustrated, The Burnside Review, Glimmer Train, The Boston Review, One Story Magazine, and The New Yorker.[9] His story, "Regeneration" won a Pushcart Prize in 2000.[10] His 2016 non-fiction narrative, Dog Gone: A Lost Pet's Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home, was the source for the 2023 Netflix film, Dog Gone.[11]
Toutonghi received his MFA in poetry from Cornell University in 2003, followed by a PhD in English Literature in 2006. After his first novel was published, he moved from Brooklyn, New York to Portland, Oregon, where he now teaches as a Professor of English at Lewis and Clark College, specializing in Fiction and Creative Nonfiction Writing.[12]
He is married to the writer Peyton Marshall,[21] and is the father of twins. His sister, Annette Toutonghi,[22] is a professional actor. His father, Joseph Toutonghi, died in December 2017.[3]