Michael Mau is a writer, teacher, father, runner, actor, tinkerer, artist, craftsman, and snappy dresser.
Michael’s short fiction has appeared in Black Warrior Review, Portland Review, Fifth Wednesday, Mount Hope, Firewords Quarterly, Punchnel’s, Ferocious Quarterly, and other places. “An Open Letter to America From a Public School Teacher,” originally published in McSweeney’s, received national attention when it was picked up by several news outlets. His story “Little Bird” was selected by Lily Hoang as the winner of the Black Warrior Review Fiction Contest. His story “Best Launderette” was selected by guest editor Pam Houston for Fifth Wednesday Journal. Michael was a finalist for the 2017 Disquiet Prize.
Thanks to spaces like the John G. Irvin Gallery, Loudoun House, Lussi Brown, Blue Stallion, Rock House, Fusion Gallery, Circle of Light, and Damselfly, others have been able to experience artwork that for the artist is much more about process than product. Some of Michael’s artwork has been featured in The Esthetic Apostle, Manhattanville Review, The Grief Diaries, The Broke Bohemian, Stray Branch, and Cream City Review.
A late-comer to the modeling world, Michael has modeled for the J. Peterman Catalog, The Show Shop, Cool Beauty Consulting, and Jeff Nelson Photography among others.
As a commercial actor, Michael appeared most recently in a Super Bowl commercial for Fayette Heating & Air. He can also be seen in ads for NIPSCO, Datto, HealthStream, Four Roses, and other brands as well as the C. Shirock music video “Stand With Me Tonight.”
On stage, Michael has performed most recently in Studio Players production of Stage Kiss. He has also acted with the Woodford Theatre and the Bluegrass Opera. He traveled to New York in the summer of 2017 to perform in the Midtown International Theatre Festival.
Michael received his MFA from the Bluegrass Writers Studio at EKU.