Ron Rash (born September 25, 1953), an American poet, short story writer and novelist, is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University. Read full biography of Ron Rash →
I learnt how to hunt rattlesnakes with an eagle for 'Serena.'
Sometimes I know what my characters are moving away from or toward; more often I just wait and see. For instance, though I knew Sinkler in 'The... →
I usually do at least a dozen drafts and progressively make more-conscious decisions. Because I've always believed stories are closer to poems... →
I love learning about different dialects and I own all sorts of regional and time-period slang dictionaries. I often browse through relevant ones... →
Faulkner came from my region and taught me how you could write about a place.
I think writing a poem is like being a greyhound. Writing a novel is like being a mule. You go up one long row, then down another, and try not to... →
As I get older I find myself thinking it all begins with Shakespeare.
'Cool-Hand Luke' is one of my favorite movies.
I wouldn't mind being a track and field coach.
One of my goals is to allow readers to see my characters and the world they inhabit as vividly as possible.
Furthermore, even if ideas were gettable - say, stacked in a secluded cave like the Dead Sea scrolls - I wouldn't go there. An 'idea,'... →
I live in Cullowhee, North Carolina. That's where I teach, at Western Carolina University. That region is where my family has lived for a long... →
I think I had a particular moment when I was 15 years old. I read 'Crime and Punishment,' and that book just, I think, more than any other... →
Ron Rash (born September 25, 1953), an American poet, short story writer and novelist, is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University.