Tom Lutz is an American writer, literary critic, and the founder of the Los Angeles Review of Books. He was born on March 21, 1953. Lutz has published several works including The Kindness of Strangers, Portraits: Moments of Intimacy on the Road, and Aimlessness. His first novel, Born Slippy: A Novel, was published in January 2020. He has authored other travel narratives like And The Monkey Learned Nothing and Drinking Mare’s Milk on the Roof of the World.

Lutz has a rich teaching background, having taught at institutions such as UC Riverside, the LARB/USC Publishing Workshop, University of Iowa, University of Copenhagen, and Stanford University. Additionally, he is passionate about music, having played in bar bands and recorded music, albeit not professionally.

He is married to writer Laurie Winer and they have three children. The couple runs a residency for writers and artists in St. Chamassy, located in France’s Dordogne region. Lutz retired from UC Riverside in June 2024 and moved to France, where he continues to write and explore recording technologies.