Marissa Levien

Marissa Levien is a distinguished novelist and educator, currently serving as a Professor of Creative Writing & Literature at Stony Brook University since January 2022. Levien's debut novel, "The World Gives Way," published by Orbit Books in June 2021, was recognized as one of the Best Books of 2021 by the New York Times and was a finalist for the Bradbury Award. Prior to this, Levien held various roles in the literary and art sectors, including Senior Administrator/Designer for the Southampton Writers Conference, where responsibilities included overseeing events and liaising with authors, and Assistant Director at Cavin-Morris Gallery, managing day-to-day operations and coordinating events. Experience also includes guiding literary tours as a Guide/Researcher for the Greenwich Village Literary Pubcrawl and working as a bookseller at BookCourt. Levien holds two Master of Fine Arts degrees in Creative Writing and Literature from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.