# Matt Bell
*Author and Creative Writing Professor*

Matt Bell is the author of the novel "Appleseed" (a New York Times Notable Book) and the craft book "Refuse to Be Done", a guide to novel writing, rewriting, and revision. He is also the author of the novels "Scrapper" and "In the House upon the Dirt Between the Lake and the Woods", as well as the short story collection "A Tree or a Person or a Wall", a non-fiction book about the classic video game Baldur's Gate II, and several other titles. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Esquire, Tin House, Fairy Tale Review, American Short Fiction, Orion, and many other publications.A native of Michigan, he teaches creative writing at Arizona State University. Throughout his 17-year-long history of teaching, he has never stopped finding the unique perspectives of his students restorative and invigorating to his own craft. Over time, he has earned the title of "the writer's writer"; his expertise in novel revision and narrative craft has helped a great many people finish their projects, as has his book Refuse to Be Done.His novel "In the House upon the Dirt between the Lake and the Woods" was a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award and an Indies Choice Adult Book of the Year Honor Recipient, and was selected as the winner of the Paula Anderson Book Award, among other honors. Both "In the House" and "Scrapper" were selected by the Library of Michigan as Michigan Notable Books.Read more about Matt Bell at mattbell.com, or follow his Substack at mattbell.substack.com.

## Retreats led by Matt Bell

### Revision, Rewriting, and Re-Visioning Writing Retreat with Author Matt Bell in Greece
June 6 - 13, 2026 · Planos, Zakynthos, Greece · $4,250
Instructors: Matt Bell
[Details](https://uptrek.com/ai/content/retreat/revision-rewriting-revisioning-writing-retreat-author-matt-bell-greece) · [Book on uptrek.com →](https://uptrek.com/retreat/revision-rewriting-revisioning-writing-retreat-author-matt-bell-greece#book)

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**Last updated:** 2025-08-20