'''John D'Agata''' (born 1975) is an American essayist. He is the author or editor of six books of nonfiction, including ''The Next American Essay'' (2003), ''The Lost Origins of the Essay'' (2009) and ''The Making of the American Essay''—all part of the trilogy of essay anthologies called "A New History of the Essay". He also wrote ''The Lifespan of a Fact'', "Halls of Fame", and "About a Mountain".