Bill Roorbach
Encyclopedia
Bill Roorbach is an American novelist, short story writer, memoirist, nature writer, journalist, blogger, and critic.
.
In 1959 the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut
, where he attended public schools.
He was graduated in 1976 from Ithaca College
cum laude with a B.A. in Individual and Interdisciplinary Studies. He was graduated from Columbia University
with an MFA in 1990.
He was a fiction editor of Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose.
He married the painter Juliet Karelsen, in June 1990.
In 2000, their daughter, Elysia, was born.
Bill taught at the University of Maine at Farmington
, from 1991 to 1995.
He taught at the Ohio State University
from 1995 to 2001, winning tenure in 1998.
In 2001, he quit his tenured position and returned with his family to Maine for three years of writing full-time.
In 2004, he was awarded the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross
in Worcester, Massachusetts
, a five-year position as full professor. He commuted from Maine. [1]
In 2009, he returned to full-time writing, and completed a new novel, The High Side, to be published by Algonquin Books in spring, 2012.
His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, [2], Playboy, The Missouri Review, [3] Granta,[4] and many other magazines and journals.
His story "Big Bend" was featured on the NPR program Selected Shorts, performed by the actor James Cromwell.
• 2004-2009 William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters, College of the Holy Cross
Life
In 1954 his family moved to suburban BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
In 1959 the family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
, where he attended public schools.
He was graduated in 1976 from Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
cum laude with a B.A. in Individual and Interdisciplinary Studies. He was graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
with an MFA in 1990.
He was a fiction editor of Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose.
He married the painter Juliet Karelsen, in June 1990.
In 2000, their daughter, Elysia, was born.
Bill taught at the University of Maine at Farmington
University of Maine at Farmington
The University of Maine at Farmington, established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, is a public liberal arts college, and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges offering programs in teacher education, human services and arts and sciences as...
, from 1991 to 1995.
He taught at the Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
from 1995 to 2001, winning tenure in 1998.
In 2001, he quit his tenured position and returned with his family to Maine for three years of writing full-time.
In 2004, he was awarded the William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, a five-year position as full professor. He commuted from Maine. [1]
In 2009, he returned to full-time writing, and completed a new novel, The High Side, to be published by Algonquin Books in spring, 2012.
His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, [2], Playboy, The Missouri Review, [3] Granta,[4] and many other magazines and journals.
His story "Big Bend" was featured on the NPR program Selected Shorts, performed by the actor James Cromwell.
Awards
- 2001 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short FictionFlannery O'Connor Award for Short FictionThe Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction is an annual prize awarded by the University of Georgia Press named in honor of the American short story writer and novelist Flannery O'Connor....
- 1999 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow
- 2002 O. Henry Prize
- 2004 Kaplan Foundation Fellow
- 2006 Maine Prize for Literary Nonfiction
• 2004-2009 William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters, College of the Holy Cross