Dr Thom Conroy teaches creative writing in the School of English and Media Studies at Massey University. He is the author of two novels, The Naturalist (2014) and The Salted Air (2016), both published by Penguin Random House. His short fiction has appeared in journals in New Zealand and abroad, including Landfall, Sport, New England Review, Alaska Quarterly Review and Agni. His fiction has been recognised by Best American Short Stories 2012 and has won other awards, including the Katherine Ann Porter Prize in Fiction and the Sunday Star-Times Short Fiction Competition. In 2013 Thom received a Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence.