Melissa Bank

Melissa Susan Bank (October 11, 1960 – August 2, 2022) was an American novelist and short‑story writer best known for The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing (1999). Her work—witty, precise, and emotionally observant—earned wide critical praise and commercial success; she also published the story collection/linked‑novel The Wonder Spot (2005). Bank taught in MFA programs and published in outlets including Ploughshares and Zoetrope. She won the 1993 Nelson Algren Award for short fiction.