Allen Eskens grew up in the wooded hills of Missouri and, after high school, migrated north to pursue his education. He acquired a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota, and a Juris Doctorate from Hamline University School of Law. While he toiled as a practicing attorney in Mankato, Minnesota he spent his spare time honing his creative writing skills in the M.F.A. program at Minnesota State University and took numerous classes at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. The Life We Bury is Allen's debut offering.