Native Californian John Givens teaches fiction writing in Dublin. He got his MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Korea for two years, studied art and language in Kyoto for four years, and worked in Tokyo as a writer and editor for eight years. Givens has published three novels: Sons of the Pioneers, A Friend in the Police, and Living Alone. The Plum Rains, a collection of short stories set in 17th-century Japan, was published in Ireland by The Liffey Press. Other stories have appeared in various publications in the US, Asia and Europe. See his website for more information. [Read]