Writer Peter Hedges has had a penchant for writing about outlandish characters that most wouldn’t dare touch. Whether it’s a mother so overweight that she cannot leave the house or a woman who falls madly in love with a deaf man without hands and feet, Hedges has explored the depths of pain, suffering and ultimately, hope, but not without a sense of humor.

Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Hedges was born on July 6, 1962. His father was a minister and his mother was a drug and alcohol counselor who would later succumb to cancer in 2000. With his dad being a minister, Hedges spent much of