Ex Machina considers the relationship between humans, books and machines. Clockﬁrecontains 77 scripts for conceptual plays that would be impossible to produce. Both books were published under Creative Commons licenses, so readers can remix their contents. His newest collection, The Politics of Knives (Coach House), probes the relationship between language and violence. Ball was shortlisted for the 2012 John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writer. He teaches English, film, and writing at the University of Winnipeg.