Jess Walter
American Author

Jess Walter is the author of eleven books, most recently the bestselling novel So Far Gone (2025), currently in development as a series with Netflix. His previous novels include the #1 New York Times bestseller Beautiful Ruins; The Cold Millions, a selection of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read; The Zero, a finalist for the National Book Award; and Citizen Vince, winner of the Edgar Award. His short fiction, collected in The Angel of Rome and We Live in Water, has received O. Henry Award and Pushcart Prize honors and has appeared three times in Best American Short Stories.

Jess began his writing career in 1987 as a reporter for The Spokesman-Review. In 1992, he was part of a reporting team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Ruby Ridge standoff, which later became the subject of his first book, Every Knee Shall Bow (1995). In addition to his writing, Jess has worked as a screenwriter and has taught graduate creative writing at the University of Iowa, Pacific University, Eastern Washington University, and Pacific Lutheran University.

Jess lives in Spokane with his wife, Anne. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching basketball, traveling—especially to Italy—and spending time with family, often relaxing by the backyard pool