Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
1 appearances
-
Edition 34 (2001) Winner
Bill Roorbach
ビル・ルールバッハ
Bill Roorbach
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1953-08-08 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Boston (early childhood) → New Canaan, Connecticut (raised) → Maine (adult residence, base for writing) → Worcester, Massachusetts (taught at College of the Holy Cross) → Newport, Rhode Island (faculty, Newport MFA)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, short story writer, memoirist, nature writer, journalist, blogger, critic, professor
- Active Years
- 1980-2025
- Affiliations
- University of Maine at Farmington, Ohio State University, Colby College (visiting professor), College of the Holy Cross (William H.P. Jenks Chair), Salve Regina University (Newport MFA faculty)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca College | — | Individual and Interdisciplinary Studies | BA | 1972–1976 | United States |
| Columbia University School of the Arts | — | MFA Writing Program | MFA | 1987–1990 | United States |
Ithaca College
Individual and Interdisciplinary Studies
Degree:
BA
Period:
1972–1976
Year of Graduation:
1976
Country:
United States
Graduated cum laude
Columbia University School of the Arts
MFA Writing Program
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1987–1990
Year of Graduation:
1990
Country:
United States
Awarded a School of the Arts Fellowship and served as fiction editor for Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction | Big Bend (short stories) | — | University of Georgia Press (UGA Press) | 受賞 |
| 2002 | O. Henry Prize | — | — | O. Henry Prize (awarding committee) | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Maine Literary Award for Nonfiction | Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey | ノンフィクション | Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance | 受賞 |
| 2013 | Maine Literary Award for Fiction | Life Among Giants | フィクション | Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance | 受賞 |
| 2014 | Kirkus Prize (Fiction) | The Remedy for Love | フィクション | Kirkus Reviews | ファイナリスト |
| 2018 | Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow | — | — | Civitella Ranieri Foundation | フェロー |
| 1999 | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| 2004 | William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters | — | 学術職 | College of the Holy Cross | 任命（2004–2009） |
| 2004 | Kaplan Foundation Fellow | — | — | Kaplan Foundation | フェロー |
Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2001
Work:
Big Bend (short stories)
Organization:
University of Georgia Press (UGA Press)
Result:
受賞
O. Henry Prize
2002
Organization:
O. Henry Prize (awarding committee)
Result:
受賞
Maine Literary Award for Nonfiction
2005
Work:
Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey
Category:
ノンフィクション
Organization:
Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Result:
受賞
Maine Literary Award for Fiction
2013
Work:
Life Among Giants
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Result:
受賞
Kirkus Prize (Fiction)
2014
Work:
The Remedy for Love
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Kirkus Reviews
Result:
ファイナリスト
Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow
2018
Organization:
Civitella Ranieri Foundation
Result:
フェロー
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1999
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
William H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters
2004
Category:
学術職
Organization:
College of the Holy Cross
Result:
任命（2004–2009）
Kaplan Foundation Fellow
2004
Organization:
Kaplan Foundation
Result:
フェロー
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Smallest Color
2001 Novel 336 pagesAn early novel exploring family, memory, and personal loss.
familymemoryloss
Big Bend
2001 Short story collectionA collection of short stories including pieces that won the Flannery O'Connor Award.
American suburbiahuman relationshipsmoral dilemmas
Adaptations
- [radio/reading] Selected Shorts (performance on NPR) (2001)
Temple Stream: A Rural Odyssey
2005 Memoir / Nature writing 288 pagesA nature memoir that traces personal and family stories through rural New England landscapes.
naturerural lifefamily
Life Among Giants
2012 NovelA novel centered on a suburban family, exploring relationships, loss, and renewal.
familylossrenewal
The Remedy for Love
2014 NovelA novel about love and healing; was a finalist for the 2014 Kirkus Prize.
lovehealingrelationships
The Girl of the Lake
2017 Short story collectionA collection of short stories, several set against lakes and natural settings.
naturehuman dramalocal communities
Lucky Turtle
2022 NovelA recent novel dealing with family and confronting the past.
familyconfronting the past
Summers with Juliet
1992 Nonfiction / EssaysA nonfiction work of essays published shortly after Columbia.
everyday lifememory
Writing Life Stories
2000 Essay / Craft guideA widely used guide to writing memoirs and essays.
craft of writinghandling memory
Bibliography
- The Smallest Color (2001)
- Big Bend (short stories, 2001)
- Writing Life Stories (2000)
- Into Woods (essays, 2002)
- A Place on Water (with Wesley McNair and Robert Kimber, 2004)
- Temple Stream (2005)
- Life Among Giants (2012)
- The Remedy for Love (2014)
- The Girl of the Lake (short stories, 2017)
- Lucky Turtle (2022)
- Summers with Juliet (1992)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, observant prosenature-focused nonfiction techniquesrealist focus on family and interior lives
- Recurring Motifs
- rivers and lakeswoods and rural landscapesfamily memory and loss
Legacy
Bill Roorbach is an author of novels, short stories, and nature memoirs known for his portrayals of American regional life and landscape. As an educator he has taught for many years, and his craft guides have influenced emerging writers.
Academic Societies
- Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
Trivia
- Played piano and sang in bands during his early working life.
- Worked as a carpenter, plumber, and handyman before establishing himself as a writer.
- Married to painter Juliet Karelsen; they have one daughter.
- Earned an MFA from Columbia University and has taught at several universities.