Peter Smith lives in Hopkins, Minn. He writes essays, fiction, poetry and an occasional op-ed piece. His short stories appear in writing competitions now and then. When all else fails and the wolf appears at the door, Smith has been known to resort to writing advertising -- a fact that he and his siblings have gone to great lengths to hide from his mother. In autumn 2010, the University of Minnesota Press will publish "A Porch Sofa Almanac," an anthology of his essays for MPR. A second book, a memoir entitled, "A Cavalcade of Lesser Horrors," is scheduled for publication in autumn 2011. Smith blogs at petersmithwrites.blogspot.com. You can follow him on Twitter at petersmithwrite or on Facebook at Peter Smith Writes.