Lee Gutkind is an American writer, speaker, and founder of the literary journal called Creative Nonfiction.
Gutkind has written or edited more than 30 books, covering a wide range of subjects from motorcycle subculture to child and adolescent mental illness and organ transplantation.
Currently he is Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Consortium for Science Policy and Outcomes and Professor at the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University.
Early life Gutkind was born on January 3, 1943, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Jewish parents, Mollie Osgood and a shoe salesman father.O'Driscoll, Bill (24 June 2010). A father and son recall life on the road in a new memoir Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved on 9 August 2025 He had his Bar Mitzvah at Shaare Torah Congregation, an Orthodox congregation in Pittsburgh.Reinherz, Adam (14 September 2020). Lee Gutkind, founder of journal Creative Nonfiction, takes a look within Jewish Chronicle of Pittsburgh. Retrieved on 9 August 2025
He earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. After high school and service in the United States Coast Guard, he held jobs as a truck driver, traveling shoe salesman and public relations account executive.
Career In 1973, he published his first book, Bike Fever: On Motorcycle Culture. He then joined the University of Pittsburgh's Department of English faculty, where he eventually became the first tenured professor at the university without an advanced degree.
Gutkind founded the literary journal Creative Nonfiction in 1993. He also published three issues of Best Creative Nonfiction, an anthology of creative nonfiction. At Arizona State University, he founded the ThinkWritePublish program, supported by The National Science Foundation (Science in Society) and the Templeton Foundation (True Stories About Science and Religion).
Gutkind has lectured about nonfiction to a wide range audiences and organizations, including the National Academy of Science, Earth Justice, the Institute for Learning, the Council on Healthcare Economics and Policy at Princeton University, as well as foreign audiences. He delivered a writing seminar at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.Shapiro, Sarah (11 September 2008). Neither fact nor fiction The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved on 9 August 2025Heilman, Uriel (21 August 2008). Gutkind sees Jerusalem through a writer’s eyes Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved on 9 August 2025
He helped found the first MFA program in creative nonfiction at the University of Pittsburgh. He also helped found the first low-residency MFA program in creative nonfiction at Goucher College, and for 11 years was director of the Mid-Atlantic Creative Nonfiction Writers' Conference there. He was the director and founder of the "412 Pittsburgh Creative Nonfiction Literary Festival" for four years. He also served as the Virginia G. Piper Distinguished Writer in Residence at Arizona State University in 2007-2008.
Awards and recognition Lee Gutkind's list of honorary achievements include : The Steve Allan Individual Award, by United Mental Health, Inc; Chancellor's Award for Public Service; Meritorious Service Award by American Council on Transplantation; Howard Blakeslee Award by the American Heart Association for "outstanding journalism; Golden Eagle Award by CINE, for the film A Place Just Right; Recipient of National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. In 2004, Gutkind was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Chatham College.
In a 1997 snipe at Gutkind in the print edition, Vanity Fair called Gutkind "the Godfather" of the genre of creative nonfiction . More than 10 years later, Harper's Magazine was quoted as having stated he was "the leading figure behind the creative nonfiction movement."
List of publications Written Title Description Publisher Year ISBNYou Can't Make This Stuff Up A writer's guide to reading & writing creative nonfiction. Da Capo Lifelong Books 2012 An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine Co-authored with Pagan Kennedy, this book delves into the personal side of medicine, offering the physician's perspective and the patient's experience through intimate narratives and case studies.In Fact Books2012ISBN 978-1937163068Truckin' with Sam A memoir chronicling several years of Gutkind's experiences traveling across the United States and the world with his son Sam, who appears later in the book as a co-author. State University of New York Press 2010 Almost Human: Making Robots Think Documents four years of observation at the Carnegie-Mellon University Robotics Institute, as they imagine, design, build, and test robots. Some scenes also take place at NASA and in the Atacama Desert in Chile. W. W. Norton 2007 Forever Fat: Essays by the Godfather A memoir. University of Nebraska Press 2004 The Best Seat in Baseball, But You Have to Stand: The Game as Umpires See It A reprint of the original 1973 book from Dial Press. University of Southern Illinois Press 1999 The Veterinarian's Touch: Profiles of Life Among the Animals Various profiles of veterinarians. Owl Books 1998 The Art of Creative Nonfiction: The Literature of Reality A writer's guide to the craft of creative nonfiction. John Wiley & Sons 1996 Creative Nonfiction: How to Live it and Write It A guide to teach young writers how to use creative nonfiction Chicago Review Press 1996 Stuck in Time: The Tragedy of Childhood Mental Illness An examination of the American health care system. Henry Holt and Company 1994 One Children's Place: Inside a Children's Hospital An examination of the American health care system. A Plume Book by Penguin 1992 Many Sleepless Nights: The World of Organ Transplantation An inside look at the world of organ transplantation. W. W. Norton & Co. 1990 The People of Penn's Woods West Essays about rural America. University of Pittsburgh Press 1984 God's Helicopter A novel. Slow Loris Press 1983 The Best Seat in Baseball, But You Have to Stand: The Game As Umpires See It An inside look at the life of major league umpires. Dial Press 1975 Bike Fever: An Examination of the Motorcycle Subculture Lee's first book. Avon Books, Inc. 1973
Edited Title Description Publisher Year ISBNShow Me All Your Scars: True Stories of Living With Mental Illness Introduction by Patrick J. Kennedy, and foreword by Dr. Karen Wolk Feinstein.In Fact Books2016ISBN 978-1937163259What I Didn't Know: True Stories of Becoming a TeacherIn these twenty personal narratives, teachers provide us with a fascinating insight into a profession that touches us all.In Fact Books2016ISBN 978-1937163273Same Time Next Week: True Stories of Working Through Mental IllnessThese dramatic narratives communicate clearly the rewards of helping patients move forward with their lives, often through a combination of medication, talk therapy, and common sense. Collectively, these true stories highlight the need for empathy and compassion. In Fact Books2015ISBN 978-1937163198Oh, Baby: True Stories About Conception, Adoption, Surrogacy, Pregnancy, Labor, and LoveCo-edited with Alice Bradley. Introduction by Lisa Belkin.In Fact Books2015ISBN 978-1937163211The Rightful Place of Science: Creative NonfictionContributing authors: Michael Zirulnik; Lee Gutkind; David Guston; Elizabeth Popp Berman; Adam Briggle; Roberta Chevrette; Gwen Ottinger; Angela Records; Meera Lee Sethi; Sara Wehlchel; Rachel Zurer; Ross Carper; Sonja Schmid Consortium for Science, Policy, & Outcomes2015ASIN B01FGPKIO6For the Love of Baseball: A Celebration of the Game That Connects Us AllCo-edited by Andrew Blauner. Introduction by Yogi Berra. United by the authors' fervent love of the game, each chapter in this book reminds us of the unique role baseball plays in our national history and collective imagination.Skyhorse Publishing2014ISBN 978-1510702738Southern Sin: True Stories of the Sultry South and Women Behaving Badly Co-edited with Beth Ann Fennelly. Introduction by Dorothy Allison.In Fact Books2014ISBN 978-1937163105True Stories Well Told: From the First 20 Years of Creative Nonfiction Magazine Co-edited with Hattie Fletcher. Introduction by Susan Orlean.In Fact Books2014ISBN 978-1937163167Writing Away the Stigma: Ten Courageous Writers Tell True Stories About Depression, Bipolar Disorder, ADHD, OCD, PTSD and MoreIn this collection, ten writers confront the stigma of mental illness head-on, bravely telling stories of devastating depressions, persistent traumas, overwhelming compulsions, and more.In Fact Books2014ISBN 978-0692221297Creating Nonfiction: Lessons From the Voice of the Genre Co-edited with Robyn Jodlowski. Contributing authors: Roy Peter Clark, Megan Foss, Steven Harvey, Lisa Knopp, Bret Lott, Hilary Masters, Susan Messer, Natalia Rachel Singer In Fact Books2013ASIN B00F0RWY7UI Wasn't Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse True stories of becoming a nurse.In Fact Books2013ISBN 978-1937163129True crime: Real-life Stories of Abduction, Addiction, Obsession, Murder, Grave-robbing, and MoreIn Fact Books2013ISBN 978-1937163143Great Baseball Stories: Essays, Ruminations, and Nostalgic Reminiscences on Our National PastimeCo-edited with Andrew Blauner, with foreword by Yogi Berra.Skyhorse Publishing2012ISBN 978-1616086039At the End of Life: True Stories About How We DieForeword by Francine Prose.In Fact Books2012ISBN 978-1937163044Becoming a Doctor: From Student to Specialist, Doctor-Writers Share Their Experiences.Personal narratives from those who have gone through the process of becoming a doctor.W.W. Norton & Co.2011ISBN