Did You Ever Have a Family (Clegg) - Author Bio

Author Bio
• Birth—ca. 1970
• Raised—Sharon, Connecticut, USA
• Education—B.A., Washington College
• Currently—lives in New York, New York


William Robert Clegg is an American literary agent and author who grew up in Sharon, Connecticut, the son of William Clegg, Jr., a TWA pilot, and Kathy Jeanne (nee Ruscoe). He has two sisters and a brother.

Publishing
In 1993 at the urging of a friend, Clegg took a Radcliffe publishing course, which led to an entry-level position at the literary agency, Robbins Office. In 2001, he and Sarah Burnes cofounded their own agency, Clegg and Burnes. The firm's roster of clients grew to include Nicole Krauss, Susan Choi, Anne Carson, Heather Clay, Nick Flynn, and Andrew Sean Greer, among others.

In 2005, however, Clegg and Burke closed abruptly under mysterious circumstances. It was later revealed that the closing was due in part to Clegg's disappearance on a drug binge.

One year later, after getting sober, Clegg returned to publishing. He was hired by Jennifer Rudolph Walsh of William Morris Endeavor (WME), who took him on, according to Clegg, when no one else would. Many of Clegg's former clients returned to him. It was during his time at WME that he began writing his two memoirs.

In 2014 Clegg left WME to launch his own firm, the Clegg Agency. Jennifer Rudolph Walsh later represented him when he pitched his 2015 debut novel, Did You Ever Have a Family.

Writing
Clegg's first two memoirs, detail his addiction to crack cocaine. Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man, published in 2010, recounts his descent into addiction, while Ninety Days, released two years later, details the difficulties of recovery.

His debut novel, Did You Ever Have a Family, came out in 2015 to great anticipation and solid reviews. The book was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award.

In addition to his books, Clegg has also written for the New York Times, Lapham’s Quarterly, New York magazine, The Guardian, and Harper’s Bazaar. 

Personal
Clegg, who is gay, was in a long term relationship with filmmaker Ira Sachs. Sachs based his film Keep the Lights On on their relationship. In 2013, Clegg married Van Scott Jr., a communications manager at CNN. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 9/23/2015.)