Ben Fountain is an American writer known for his award-winning works. Born in 1958, he currently resides in New Bern, North Carolina. His notable achievements include winning the PEN/Hemingway Award for Brief Encounters with Che Guevara: Stories in 2007 and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction for his debut novel Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk in 2012.

Fountain's fiction has been featured in prestigious publications such as Harper's, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope: All Story. He is also a recipient of an O. Henry Prize and two Pushcart Prizes. He lives with his wife and their two children in Dallas, Texas.