Martin Riker

Martin Riker is a Teaching Professor of English and Director of the Publishing Concentration at Washington University in St. Louis. He holds a PhD from the University of Denver. His research focuses on international and experimental fiction, the philosophy of style, non-canonical literary traditions, literature in translation, literary criticism, and publishing theory. Riker is the author of two novels: The Guest Lecture (2023) and Samuel Johnson's Eternal Return (2018), both critically acclaimed. He co-founded the feminist publishing house Dorothy in 2010, offering student internships. Courses taught include Publishing History & Contexts and The Art of Publishing.

His academic and editorial roles span over a decade with Dalkey Archive Press and periodicals like The Review of Contemporary Fiction. Riker’s writing appears in outlets such as the New York Times Book Review and Wall Street Journal.