Ben Fountain's Coming to San Marcos
Mayor's Book Club author joins TSU English Department
4:49PM, Mon. Apr. 22, 2013
Texas State University announced this afternoon that author Ben Fountain would join the English Department faculty from 2014 to 2016 as the University Endowed Chair in Creative Writing.
It's a coup for the San Marcos university, and Fountain will join the already impressive creative writing faculty, which includes Doug Dorst, Steve Wilson, Debra Monroe, and others.
And, perhaps even better, it draws a direct local tie to the second novel chosen as part of this year's Mayor's Book Club, which kicks off later this month with events featuring Kevin Powers. Fountain's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, the New York Times bestseller hailed as book of the year by Time magazine, was announced last month as the fall selection.
It's a Long Halftime Walk, but it'll be a quick commute up I-35 once Fountain arrives on campus next year.
Ben Fountain will be at Faulk Central Library Saturday, Oct. 19, at 2pm. Stay tuned for more on other Mayor's Book Club events, including writing workshops and educational outreach.
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Joe O'Connell, Oct. 4, 2013
Monica Riese, April 11, 2013
Texas State University, MFA, master of fine arts, creative writing, English department, Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Mayor's Book Club