Greg Garrett (writer)

Infobox Writer
name = Greg Garrett


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birthdate = November 6, 1961
birthplace = Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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occupation = Author, professor, preacher
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genre = Fiction, nonfiction, memoir
subject = Religion, film, pop culture, spirituality
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notableworks = "Free Bird", "Holy Superheroes!"
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partner =
children = Jacob and Chandler
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awards = William Faulkner Prize for Fiction (1993)


website = [http://theotherjesus.com The Other Jesus]
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Greg Garrett (born November 6, 1961, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a writer, professor, preacher, retreat leader, and musician based in Austin, Texas.

Education

Born November 6, 1961, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Garrett attended Mustang High School in Mustang, Oklahoma. He then went on to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he received his B.A. in English with a minor in History and was a member of Alpha Chi and Phi Alpha Theta national honor societies. He continued his education at University of Central Oklahoma, receiving an M.A. in Creative Studies (his thesis was a novel, "Bicentennial Summer").

Greg received his Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University in 1989. [ [http://www.baylor.edu/english/index.php?id=50147 Baylor University || English Department || Greg Garrett ] ] His dissertation was "Bloodmetal", a screenplay. He continued his education with post-doctoral studies in Holocaust Studies at University of Oregon in 1997, and received a Masters of Divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2007.

Literary career

Fiction

Garrett’s novel "Free Bird" [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:108322 The Austin Chronicle: Books: Readings ] ] was published in 2002. [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0758201397 Amazon.com: Free Bird: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] It drew favorable critical attention and was a publisher nominee for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. It was also a "Publishers Weekly" First Fiction honoree and a finalist for the Violet Crown Award for Texas letters.

"Cycling", a novel published in 2003 [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0758205317 Amazon.com: Cycling: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] , was a finalist for the William Faulkner Prize for Fiction, the James Jones First Novel Fellowship, the Bakeless Literary Prize, and the Violet Crown Award for Texas Letters. It was also a publisher nominee for the 2003 National Book Award.

Nonfiction and Memoirs

Garrett is the author of several nonfiction works on religion and pop culture, including "The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in the Matrix"(with Chris Seay) [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2003-05-08-matrix_x.htm USATODAY.com - 'Matrix' world is all-consuming in mythology, mysticism ] ] [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1576834786 Amazon.com: The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in The Matrix: Chris Seay, Greg Garrett: Books ] ] (nominated for the 2004 Gold Medallion Book Award), "Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith and Spirituality in Comics" [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12376831 At the comics shop, religion goes graphic - MORE NEWS AND FEATURES - MSNBC.com ] ] [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1576835766 Amazon.com: Holy Superheroes: Exploring Faith And Spirituality In Comic Books: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] (a revised and expanded second edition, "Holy Superheroes! Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film" [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0664231918 Amazon.com: Holy Superheroes! Revised and Expanded Edition: Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] , was published in 2008), and "The Gospel According to Hollywood" [ [http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6440599.html?nid=2287 Greg Garrett: Saved by the Movies - 5/9/2007 - Publishers Weekly ] ] [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0664230520 Amazon.com: The Gospel According to Hollywood: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] . He is an author of "The Voice" [ [http://www.hearthevoice.com/ the voice ] ] , a forthcoming contemporary language Bible (his "The Voice of Mark" [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0529123509 Amazon.com: The Voice of Mark: Let Them Listen: Greg Garrett, Matthew Paul Turner: Books ] ] and "The Voice of Hebrews" [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0529123533 Amazon.com: The Voice of Hebrews: The Mystery of Melchizedek: Greg Garrett, David Capes: Books ] ] were published in 2008).

"Crossing Myself", Garrett’s spiritual autobiography, was published in 2006 [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1576838560 Amazon.com: Crossing Myself: A Story of Spiritual Rebirth: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] . A second memoir, "No Idea", is forthcoming from David C. Cook Publishing in 2009. "Stories from the Edge: A Theology of Grief" [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0664232043 Amazon.com: Stories from the Edge: A Theology of Grief: Greg Garrett: Books ] ] , was published in August 2008.

Other work

Garrett is also the author of several short stories, book reviews, essays, and scholarly articles. His novella "Minuet" won the William Faulkner Prize for Fiction in 1993. He won a regional CASE gold medalist for nonfiction and was elected to the Texas Institute of Letters in 2005 for his lifetime literary achievements. [ [http://texasinstituteofletters.org/ The Texas Institute of Letters ] ]

He also currently writes a theology blog, “The Other Jesus,” [ [http://theotherjesus.com The Other Jesus ] ] for "The Christian Century".

Professional and Personal Life

Garrett is a professor of English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he has taught since 1989. He has been named Outstanding Professor by Baylor’s student congress and Outstanding Faculty Member by the university administration [ [http://www.baylor.edu/ifl/index.php?id=29267 Baylor University || Institute for Faith and Learning || 1998 Pruit Memorial Symposium ] ] . His courses at Baylor include studies of writing, film, and literature. He was the founding director of Baylor’s Art & Soul Festival, a festival celebrating faith and the arts, from 1999-2002 [ [http://www.baylor.edu/ifl/index.php?id=23246 Baylor University || Institute for Faith and Learning || Art & Soul ] ] .

He is also the Writer in Residence at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest [ [http://www.etss.edu/bio_photos2.shtml ETSS ] ] and a lay preacher at St. David’s Episcopal Church [ [http://stdave.org/ Welcome to St. David's Episcopal Church ] ] , both in Austin, Texas.

Garrett also teaches classes, workshops, retreats, and seminars in writing, religion and culture, theology, spirituality, and other topics for conference centers, conferences, schools, universities, seminaries, and organizations around the U.S. and overseas. Recent offerings include “Writing for Peace and Justice” (a course at Ghost Ranch [ [http://www.ghostranch.org/meetings--retreats/abiquiu-facilities.html Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu and in Santa Fe, an Education, Retreat and Conference Center - Abiquiu Facilities ] ] in Abiquiu, New Mexico) and “Writing the Novel,” a five-week course for the Writers League of Texas [ [http://www.writersleague.org/index.html Writers' League of Texas ] ] .

Garrett currently resides in Austin, Texas. He has two sons, Jacob and Chandler.

External links

* [http://www.theotherjesus.com The Other Jesus]
* [http://www.baylor.edu/english/index.php?id=47647 Baylor University English Department profile]
* [http://www3.baylor.edu/~Greg_Garrett/ Greg Garrett's personal website]
* [http://www3.baylor.edu/~Greg_Garrett/writing.html Hints for Writers: An Online Tutorial by Greg Garrett]

References