Smorgasbord: A Disturbing Glimpse Into The Psyche Of A Novelist
Note to self: Don’t eat in the dark. The remote control for the soundbar to my television is NOT a chocolate bar, no matter how much it may feel like […]
Bart Yates
Bart Yates is the author of six novels, including The Language Of Love and Loss, Leave Myself Behind, The Brothers Bishop, and (writing as Noah Bly) The Third Hill North of Town. He is also a musician, and plays and teaches clarinet, saxophone, and bass guitar. He began teaching private music lessons in Massachusetts in 1989, and then moved to Iowa City, Iowa, in 1999. A novel-writing class taught by Gordon Mennenga at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival was the catalyst for his first novel (Leave Myself Behind). Bart still lives in Iowa City, with an extremely well-stocked refrigerator and the world’s best cat.
ABOUT ME
I was born in 1962, in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 1969 my family moved to Lamoni, Iowa, where my dad was the Dean of Students at Graceland College and my mom taught business courses. I graduated from Lamoni High School in 1981, Drake University in 1985 (with a Bachelor of Music degree in Clarinet Performance), and Boston University in 1988 (with a Master of Music degree in Woodwind Performance).
” When I’m not writing or teaching, I usually can be found with a book in one hand and a glass of wine—or a cup of coffee—in the other.”
BOOKS
Read My Books
The Language of Love and Loss
COMING MAY 2023
From the acclaimed author of the award-winning Leave Myself Behind comes a witty, touching, deeply satisfying new novel about a man who has no choice but to turn back and find himself . . .
Leave Myself Behind
Meet seventeen-year-old Noah York, the hilariously profane, searingly honest, completely engaging narrator of Bart Yates’s astonishing debut novel. With a mouth like a truck driver and eyes that see through the lies of the world, Noah is heading into a life that’s only getting more complicated by the day.
The Brothers Bishop
With his stunning debut novel, Leave Myself Behind, Bart Yates announced his arrival as a major new talent in fiction. Now, with that same searing wit and heartbreaking lyricism, he explores the explosive, unshakable bond between two brothers and the one summer that changes their lives forever.
The Distance Between Us
Award-winning author Bart Yates has established himself as a formidable writer gifted with rare insight, depth, and talent. Now, in an unforgettable new novel, he presents a blistering portrait of a troubled family, of bonds that can be battered but never broken, and of the friendships that can make us whole again.
The Third Hill North of Town
Set against the turbulent backdrop of the 1960s, Noah Bly’s evocative debut explores prejudice, loss, and redeeming courage through the prism of an unlikely friendship.
White Creek: A Fable
A witty, haunting tale of family and friendship, regret and redemption, set on a remote Wyoming cattle ranch in the dead of winter.
One of the strengths of Yates’s writing is his ability to work out complicated plot points and weave together the threads of the story in a dramatically effective manner.
Bay Area Reporter
Brilliantly written and funny as hell.
EDGE BOSTON
Yates effectively captures the honest, sometimes silly, often tender interactions between his fragile characters.
BOOKLIST
Imaginative and thought-provoking.
USA Today
Upcoming Events
Coming Soon
Reading and Signing – Prairie Lights Bookstore, Iowa City
Reading/signing at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City. Address: Prairie Lights Bookstore 15 South Dubuque St. • Iowa City, IA Also streamed live on world wide web.
Reading – Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
Reading at Content Bookstore in Northfield, MN Address: Content Bookstore 314 Division St. • Northfield, MN Link to the event
Signing – Barbara’s Bookstore, Lombard, IL
Signing at Barbara’s Bookstore/Yorktown Address: Barbara’s Bookstore 120 Yorktown Shopping Center • Lombard, IL