About the Author

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Ross McMeekin is author of a story collection, BELOW THE FALLS (Thirty West, 2024), & a novel, THE HUMMINGBIRDS (Skyhorse, 2018). His short fiction has appeared in literary journals and magazines such as Virginia Quarterly Review, Tin House's Open Bar, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Shenandoah, Redivider, &  X-R-A-Y. He served as editor of the minimalist literary journal, Spartan, for over a decade. He studied fiction at Vermont College of Fine Arts, earning an MFA, & holds a BA in English from the University of Washington, minoring in music. He’s won year-long writing fellowships from Jack Straw Cultural Center & Hugo House in Seattle.

Author photo by Jess McMeekin

Reviews

“Master storyteller Ross McMeekin opens a window onto the intersecting lives of the residents of Pepperleaf. In this sharp-eyed, witty, and poignant tale, a motley cast of characters discovers they can all become more than they thought possible as life breaks them out and open. True to its Pacific Northwest setting and to the human condition, PEPPERLEAF is a literary delight.”

—Liz Kellebrew, author of CLOISTERED and THE RIVER PEOPLE

“In Pepperleaf, Ross McMeekin doesn't just tell a story. For his third book, he creates an entire world on the scale of a Seattle suburb. This is an ecosystem of new love and heartbreak, resentment and illness, the overwhelming strength it takes to persevere. These are characters so fully realized they become our flesh-and-blood neighbors, friends, co-workers, our family, and—tenderly, uncomfortably—ourselves. Written with keen humor and prose that is spare yet devastating, McMeekin proves himself a master of rendering the unseen forces that hold us all together.”

—Jonathan Danielson, author of THE LOWEST BASIN: ARIZONA STORIES