Chris Offutt

Christopher John "Chris" Offutt (born August 24, 1958) is an American writer. His is most widely known for his short stories and novels, but he has also published two memoirs, nonfiction articles and, in 2005, had a story in a comic book collection by Michael Chabon and another in the anthology Noir. He has written episodes for the TV series True Blood and Weeds.

Early life and education

Chris Offutt was born in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Andrew J. Offutt, an author, and his wife, and brother of software engineer Jeff Offutt. He grew up in the small former mining community, located in the Appalachian Mountain foothills of eastern Kentucky, where he attended public schools. He quit high school to join the army, but failed the physical. ^{[citation needed]} He subsequently attended Morehead State University and graduated with a degree in theater and a minor in English. Next he hitchhiked around the country, taking more than 50 jobs, all part-time, and began writing. ^{[citation needed]}

Offutt later attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Literary career

In 1992, Offutt published his first short story collection, Kentucky Straight. His second book was the 1993 memoir The Same River Twice. In 1997 he published his first novel, The Good Brother. In 1999, he published his second collection of stories, Out of the Woods. His next book was a memoir, No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home (2002), about a six-month return to Rowan County.

In 2005, Offutt made his comic book debut when he wrote "Another Man's Escape" for Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist. A second comic is included in the anthology Noir, from Dark Horse Comics. ^{[citation needed]}

Offutt has been a visiting faculty member at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, the University of Montana, the University of New Mexico, Grinnell College, Morehead State University, Mercer University and is currently at the University of Mississippi.

In addition to his fiction, he writes non-fiction articles, which have been published in The New York Times, Men's Journal, Oxford American, and on National Public Radio. ^{[citation needed]} His work is widely translated, and taught in high schools and colleges. His stories are included in many anthologies, including Best American Short Stories, New Stories of the South (four works), and have twice been featured on "Selected Shorts" on NPR. He has also written screenplays for TV series.

Honors

His work has received awards from the Lannan Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Whiting Foundation. In 1996 Offutt was named one of the twenty best young American fiction writers by Granta magazine.^[1]

Works

• Kentucky Straight (1992)
• The Same River Twice (1993)
• The Good Brother (1997)
• Out of the Woods (1999)
• No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming Home (2002)

Television

• True Blood
  • Burning House of Love (1x07)
  • I Don't Wanna Know (1x10)
• Weeds
  • A Distinctive Horn (5x08)

References

External links

• "Chris Offutt bio", Lannan Foundation