Gautreaux to present reading, booksigning April 22
Contact: Christina Chapple
4/20/09
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HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s acclaimed writer in residence Tim Gautreaux will read from works in progress and his latest novel, “The Missing” April 22, 7 p.m., at Sims Memorial Library.
The reading, sponsored by the Department of English, will take place on the library's third floor. A booksigning will follow.
Gautreaux, who is retired from Southeastern after more than three decades in the classroom, recently added the prestigious Louisiana Writer Award to his list of awards and critical recognition. The Louisiana Center for the Book, part of the State Library of Louisiana, selected Gautreaux "for his extraordinary contributions to the state’s literary heritage."
The award is given periodically to recognize outstanding contributions to the literary and intellectual life of Louisiana. Gautreaux’s previous honors include a National Magazine Award, the John Dos Passos Prize, the Heasley Prize, the Southeastern Booksellers Award for Best Novel, the Mid-South Booksellers Award and an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship. He was also the John Grisham Visiting Writer in Residence at the University of Mississippi.
His novel “Welding with Children” was named by the “New York Times” as a notable book of the year. “The Clearing,” published by Alfred A. Knopf, was highly acclaimed, and “USA Today” chose it as one of the ten best books of 2003. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx called “The Clearing” “the finest American novel in a long, long time.” The Missing appeared in 2009 to positive reviews.
A native of Morgan City, Gautreaux attended Nicholls State University and the University of South Carolina where he earned a doctoral degree in English literature. He has studied under such literary notables as James Dickey, George Garrett and Walker Percy. In 1972 he began teaching creative writing at Southeastern, where he directed the creative writing program until his retirement in 2003.
Gautreaux’s published fiction includes two collections of short stories (“Same Place, Same Things” and “Welding with Children”) and three novels (“The Next Step in the Dance,” “The Clearing,” “The Missing”). His stories have appeared repeatedly in “Atlantic Monthly,” “Harpers,” “GQ” and many other magazines. Over the years his work has been printed regularly in “Best American Short Stories” and “New Stories from the South.” For several years he served as editor of Southeastern's literary journal “Louisiana Literature."
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