Tom Grimes
Encyclopedia
Tom Grimes is an American novelist, playwright, and creative writing instructor. He is currently the director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Texas State University
in San Marcos.
Grimes was a promising student at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop while it was under the direction of Frank Conroy
, author of the memoir Stop-Time
. Grimes’ own memoir, Mentor: A Memoir (Tin House
), is largely concerned with his time in Iowa and his friendship with Conroy, who Grimes first met while writing and working as a waiter in Key West. Grimes has described Mentor as the autobiography of a “failed novelist.” While this is probably an overstatement, it is ironic that Grimes’ chronicle of failing to realize high expectations of him as a writer has arguably proven to be his greatest literary success thus far.
After Iowa Grimes was recruited to head the (then) fledgling MFA program at Texas State (the college was known as Southwest Texas State University at the time). Grimes’ stewardship has elevated the program to national prominence, and has attracted visiting writers and faculty such as Tim O’Brien
, ZZ Packer
, Robert Stone
, Dagoberto Gilb
, and Debra Monroe
. Texas State's MFA program broke into the Top Fifty in Poets & Writers
' rankings of graduate writing programs for the application year 2012.
Grimes was also instrumental in organizing and raising funds for the restoration of the historic Katherine Anne Porter House
in Kyle, Texas (the childhood home of Pulitzer-prize winning author Katherine Anne Porter
), as well as the development of the KAP Literary Center, which is affiliated with the writing program at Texas State. The Katherine Anne Porter House has since hosted workshops, craft talks, and public readings by writers and poets such as Robert Creeley
, Percival Everett
, Richard Ford
, Mary Gaitskill
, Annie Proulx, and George Saunders
.
Texas State University MFA
The Texas State University MFA Program at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas is a three-year graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. Fiction writer Tom Grimes is currently the director of the program. The faculty includes many award winning writers...
in San Marcos.
Grimes was a promising student at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop while it was under the direction of Frank Conroy
Frank Conroy
Frank Conroy was an American author, born in New York, New York to an American father and a Danish mother. He published five books, including the highly acclaimed memoir Stop-Time, published in 1967, which ultimately made Conroy a noted figure in the literary world...
, author of the memoir Stop-Time
Stop-Time
Stop-Time, published in 1967, is a memoir by American author Frank Conroy, and tells the story of his poor childhood and early adulthood, growing up in New York City and Florida. Focusing on a series of moments from his life, the book combines traditional fictional devices such as scenes while...
. Grimes’ own memoir, Mentor: A Memoir (Tin House
Tin House
Tin House is an American literary magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon and New York City. The Tin House magazine was conceived in the summer of 1998 by Portland publisher Win McCormack. He envisioned a journal that would be graphically appealing and free of the stale substance...
), is largely concerned with his time in Iowa and his friendship with Conroy, who Grimes first met while writing and working as a waiter in Key West. Grimes has described Mentor as the autobiography of a “failed novelist.” While this is probably an overstatement, it is ironic that Grimes’ chronicle of failing to realize high expectations of him as a writer has arguably proven to be his greatest literary success thus far.
After Iowa Grimes was recruited to head the (then) fledgling MFA program at Texas State (the college was known as Southwest Texas State University at the time). Grimes’ stewardship has elevated the program to national prominence, and has attracted visiting writers and faculty such as Tim O’Brien
Tim O'Brien (author)
Tim O'Brien is an American novelist who often writes about his experiences in the Vietnam War and the impact the war had on the American servicemen who fought there...
, ZZ Packer
ZZ Packer
ZZ Packer is an African-American author, notable for her works of short fiction.-Life:She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and Louisville, Kentucky. "ZZ" was a childhood nickname; her given name is Zuwena...
, Robert Stone
Robert Stone
Robert Stone is an American novelist. His work is typically characterized by psychological complexity, political concerns, and dark humor. His novels include the National Book Award–winning Dog Soldiers , and the PEN/Faulkner Award–winning A Flag for Sunrise...
, Dagoberto Gilb
Dagoberto Gilb
Dagoberto Gilb is an American writer born in Los Angeles, California, whose reputation, after years between L.A. and Texas, is as one of the leading voices from the American Southwest....
, and Debra Monroe
Debra Monroe
Debra Monroe is an American novelist and short story writer. She has been nominated for the National Book Award twice and is a winner of the prestigious Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. -Early Life and Education:...
. Texas State's MFA program broke into the Top Fifty in Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers
Poets & Writers, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit literary organization in the United States serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers...
' rankings of graduate writing programs for the application year 2012.
Grimes was also instrumental in organizing and raising funds for the restoration of the historic Katherine Anne Porter House
Katherine Anne Porter House
The Katherine Anne Porter House is a historic house located in Kyle, Texas. It was built in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The house is the childhood home of writer Katherine Anne Porter. It was restored and turned into a museum at the instigation of Tom...
in Kyle, Texas (the childhood home of Pulitzer-prize winning author Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter
Katherine Anne Porter was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, essayist, short story writer, novelist, and political activist. Her 1962 novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling novel in America that year, but her short stories received much more critical acclaim...
), as well as the development of the KAP Literary Center, which is affiliated with the writing program at Texas State. The Katherine Anne Porter House has since hosted workshops, craft talks, and public readings by writers and poets such as Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school's. He was close with Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, John Wieners and Ed Dorn. He served as the Samuel P...
, Percival Everett
Percival Everett
Percival Everett is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.-Life:Everett lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, novelist Danzy Senna and their two sons....
, Richard Ford
Richard Ford
Richard Ford is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and short story writer. His best-known works are the novel The Sportswriter and its sequels, Independence Day and The Lay of the Land, and the short story collection Rock Springs, which contains several widely anthologized stories.-Early...
, Mary Gaitskill
Mary Gaitskill
Mary Gaitskill is an American author of essays, short stories and novels. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, The Best American Short Stories , and The O. Henry Prize Stories .-Life:Gaitskill was born in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Annie Proulx, and George Saunders
George Saunders
George Saunders is a New York Times bestselling American writer of short stories, essays, novellas and children's books. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, McSweeney's and GQ, among other publications...
.