Lara Stapleton was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan and lived for some time in Manila, Philippines. She received her M.A. from New York University. She currently is a part-time faculty member in the English Department at Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus and is working on her first novel. Her work has appeared in numerous journals. Lara co-edited Juncture: 25 Very Good Stories and 12 Excellent Drawings with Veronica Gonzalez and edited Thirdest World: Stories and Essays by Three Filipino Writers. She is the recipient of the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation Grant for writers and a two-time winner of the University of Michigan's Hopwood Award for fiction. She is also the winner of the Columbia Journal fiction prize. The Lowest Blue Flame Before Nothing is her first collection of short stories.