Rick DeMarinis was the highly acclaimed author of ten novels, including The Year of the Zinc Penny, a New York Times Notable book, and six short story collections, including Apocalypse Then and Borrowed Hearts. In 1990, he received a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Each year, Cutthroat: A Journal of the Arts, awards a short story prize in his name. Rick passed away on June 12, 2019.