Conversations with Texas Writers

by Leonard, Frances; Cearley, Ramona; Holley, Joe

• ISBN13: 9780292706415
• ISBN10: 0292706413
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

Larry McMurtry declares, "Texas itself doesn't have anything to do with why I write. It never did." Horton Foote, on the other hand, says, "I've just never had a desire to write about any place else." In between those figurative bookends are hundreds of other writers-some internationally recognized, others just becoming known-who draw inspiration and often subject matter from the unique places and people that are Texas. To give everyone who is interested in Texas writing a representative sampling of the breadth and vitality of the state's current literary production, this volume features conversations with fifty of Texas's most notable established writers and emerging talents. The writers included here work in a wide variety of genres-novels, short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays, essays, nonfiction, and magazine journalism. In their conversations with interviewers from the Writers' League of Texas and other authors' organizations, the writers speak of their apprenticeships, literary influences, working habits, connections with their readers, and the domestic and public events that have shaped their writing. Accompanying the interviews are excerpts from the writers' work, as well as their photographs, biographies, and bibliographies. Joe Holley's introductory essay-an overview of Texas writing from Cabeza de Vaca's 1542 Relacioacute;n to the work of today's generation of writers, who are equally at home in Hollywood as in Texas-provides the necessary context to appreciate such a diverse collection of literary voices.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: Texas Writing	p. 1
Wendy Barker	p. 7
Sarah Bird	p. 13
Jay Brandon	p. 19
Bobby Byrd	p. 23
Lee Byrd	p. 31
Viola Canales	p. 37
Gary Cartwright	p. 45
Paul Christensen	p. 51
J. California Cooper	p. 59
Elizabeth Crook	p. 67
Angela De Hoyos	p. 73
Mylene Dressler	p. 81
Horton Foote Essay	p. 89
Horton Foote	p. 90
Kinky Friedman	p. 95
Laura Furman	p. 101
Dagoberto Gilb	p. 109
William H. Goetzmann	p. 119
John Graves Essay	p. 125
John Graves	p. 126
James L. Haley	p. 133
Stephen Harrigan	p. 141
Jim Hightower	p. 147
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith Essay	p. 155
Rolando Hinojosa-Smith	p. 156
Edward Hirsch	p. 163
Robert E. Howard Essay	p. 169
Robert E. Howard	p. 170
Molly Ivins	p. 177
Mary Karr	p. 185
Elmer Kelton Essay	p. 193
Elmer Kelton	p. 194
Joe R. Lansdale	p. 203
David Lindsey Essay	p. 211
David Lindsey	p. 211
Arturo Longoria	p. 217
Phillip Lopate	p. 225
James Magnuson	p. 231
Larry McMurtry Essay	p. 239
Larry McMurtry	p. 240
Pat Mora	p. 249
Frances Nail	p. 259
Naomi Shihab Nye Essay	p. 265
Naomi Shihab Nye	p. 266
Karen Olsson	p. 273
Louis Sachar	p. 279
Edwin "Bud" Shrake	p. 285
Evan Smith	p. 291
Bruce Sterling Essay	p. 297
Bruce Sterling	p. 298
Katherine Tanney	p. 305
Lorenzo Thomas	p. 311
Lori Aurelia Williams	p. 319
Mary Willis Walker	p. 327
Bill Wittliff	p. 333
Bill Wright	p. 341
Lawrence Wright	p. 347
Sharon Wyse	p. 355
Suzan Zeder	p. 361
Project Notes	p. 367
Author Biographies	p. 369
Contributor Biographies	p. 387
Bibliography of Authors' Works	p. 393
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