Benjamin Percy is the author of a novel, The Wilding (Graywolf), and two books of short stories, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf) and The Language of Elk (Carnegie-Mellon University Press). His fiction and nonfiction appear in Esquire (where he is a regular contributor), Outside, Men's Journal, The Paris Review, Orion, Tin House, and many other publications. His honors include the Whiting Writers' Award, the Pushcart Prize, the Plimpton Prize, and inclusion in The Best American Short Stories. He teaches in the MFA program in creative writing and environment at Iowa State University. "The Red Balloon" is part of a collection of fables he is working on with Eisner-nominated artist Danica Novgorodoff.