Author Nan West, who writes under the byline Nancy West, is professor of English at the University of Missouri. Her books have earned her appearances on PBS’s The American Experience and the BBC’s The Genius of Photography, as well as keynote talks at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the London School of Design, and the Amon Carter Museum. She is a regular contributor to Written By magazine, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Los Angeles Review of Books.