Vanessa Manko is the author of The Invention of Exile (The Penguin Press), which was a finalist for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, a Barnes & Noble Fall ’14 Discover Great New Writers pick and named one of the best books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews. She earned her MFA from Hunter College where she was the recipient of a Hertog Fellowship. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times Magazine, The Barnes & Noble Review and on NPR’s Selected Shorts. She has taught writing at Wesleyan University, NYU and SUNY Purchase. Originally from Brookfield, CT, Vanessa now lives in Brooklyn.