John Biguenet has published seven books, including "Oyster", a novel, and "The Torturer's Apprentice: Stories", released in the United States by Ecco/HarperCollins and widely translated. His work has received an O. Henry Award for short fiction and a Harper's Magazine Writing Award among other distinctions, and his poems, stories, plays, and essays have been reprinted or cited in "The Best American Mystery Stories, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards", "The Best American Short Stories", "Best Music Writing", "Contemporary Poetry in America", "Katrina on Stage", and various other anthologies. His work has appeared in such magazines as "Granta", "Esquire", "North American Review", "Oxford American", "Playboy", "" (Rome), "Story", and "Zoetrope". Named its first guest columnist by "The New York Times", Biguenet chronicled in both columns and videos his return to New Orleans after its catastrophic flooding and the efforts to rebuild the city.