About Ron Rash
Ron Rash (born September 25, 1953) is an American poet, short story writer and novelist and the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. == Early life == Rash was born on September 25, 1953, in Chester, South Carolina and grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Gardner–Webb University and Clemson University from which he holds a B.A. and M.A. in English, respectively. == Career == Rash's poems and stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines and journals. Serena was a 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award finalist. Rash has achieved acclaim as a short story author, winning the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award in 2010 for Burning Bright. Recent work such as The Outlaws (Oxford American, Summer, 2013) focused on ordinary lives in southern Appalachia. Jim Coby examined Rash's use of mystery thriller tropes in One Foot in Eden. Ron Rash holds the John and Dorothy Parris Professorship in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University, where he teaches poetry and fiction in the Department of English. == Literary work == One Foot in Eden (2002) was Rash's first novel.
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