James Jones First Novel Fellowship
1 appearances
-
Edition 3 (1995) Winner
Rick Bass
リック・バス
Rikku Basu
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1958-03-07 （Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Houston (grew up) → Fort Worth, Texas (birthplace) → Yaak Valley, Montana (residence and conservation work) → Maine (teaching at Stonecoast MFA program)
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Environmental activist, Teacher, Geologist (former), Wildlife biologist (former)
- Active Years
- 1980-
- Affiliations
- University of Texas at Austin (teaching/lectures), Beloit College (teaching/lectures), University of Montana (teaching/lectures), Pacific University (teaching/lectures), Montana State University (teaching/lectures), Iowa State University (teaching/lectures), Stonecoast MFA (Maine, low-residency program), Yaak Valley Forest Council (board member)
- Memberships
- Yaak Valley Forest Council (board member)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State University | College of Science | Geology (focus in Wildlife) | 理学士 (B.S.) | 1976–1980 | United States |
Utah State University
College of Science
/ Geology (focus in Wildlife)
Degree:
理学士 (B.S.)
Period:
1976–1980
Year of Graduation:
1980
Country:
United States
Studied petroleum geology with a focus on wildlife
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Story Prize | For a Little While: New and Selected Stories | — | The Story Prize | Winner |
| 1995 | James Jones Literary Society First Novel Fellowship | Where the Sea Used to Be (novel in progress) | — | James Jones Literary Society | Winner |
| 2006 | The Story Prize (finalist) | The Lives of Rocks (stories) | — | The Story Prize | Finalist |
| 2008 | National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography, finalist) | Why I Came West (A Memoir) | Autobiography / Memoir | National Book Critics Circle | Finalist |
| — | General Electric Younger Writers Award | — | — | General Electric | Winner |
| — | PEN/Nelson Algren Award (Special Citation) | — | — | PEN | Special citation |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | Fellowship |
The Story Prize
2016
Work:
For a Little While: New and Selected Stories
Organization:
The Story Prize
Result:
Winner
James Jones Literary Society First Novel Fellowship
1995
Work:
Where the Sea Used to Be (novel in progress)
Organization:
James Jones Literary Society
Result:
Winner
The Story Prize (finalist)
2006
Work:
The Lives of Rocks (stories)
Organization:
The Story Prize
Result:
Finalist
National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography, finalist)
2008
Work:
Why I Came West (A Memoir)
Category:
Autobiography / Memoir
Organization:
National Book Critics Circle
Result:
Finalist
General Electric Younger Writers Award
Organization:
General Electric
Result:
Winner
PEN/Nelson Algren Award (Special Citation)
Organization:
PEN
Result:
Special citation
National Endowment for the Arts fellowship
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
Fellowship
Awards & Nominations
The Story Prize
2 appearances
-
Edition 3 (2006) Nominee
-
Edition 13 (2016) Winner
Works
Major Works
For a Little While: New and Selected Stories
2016 Short story collectionA collection of new and selected stories focusing on nature, place, and the human relationship to the environment.
NaturePlaceEnvironmental conservationHuman-animal relationships
The Lives of Rocks
2006 Short story collectionA collection of short stories that interweave geological elements, landscapes, and the lives of people connected to those places.
GeologySense of placeMemory
Where the Sea Used to Be
1999 NovelA novel exploring land, environment, family, and memory, reflecting Bass's attention to landscape and human relationships.
Landscape changeFamilyEnvironment
Why I Came West
2008 Memoir / NonfictionA memoir recounting Bass's life, literary development, and his reasons for moving west and connecting deeply to place.
MemoirMigrationRelationship with nature
The Deer Pasture
1996 Nonfiction (essays)An essay collection focused on nature, wildlife, and land conservation.
WildlifeConservationSeasons
Bibliography
- The Watch: Stories
- Platte River
- In the Loyal Mountains
- The Sky, The Stars, The Wilderness
- Fiber
- Where the Sea Used to Be
- The Hermit's Story
- The Diezmo
- The Lives of Rocks
- Nashville Chrome
- All the Land to Hold Us
- For a Little While: New and Selected Stories
- The Deer Pasture
- Wild to the Heart
- Oil Notes
- Winter: Notes from Montana
- The Ninemile Wolves
- The Lost Grizzlies
- The Book of Yaak
- The Black Rhinos of Namibia
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Lyrical, realistic prose with emphasis on natural descriptionConcise and evocative narrative style
- Recurring Motifs
- NatureSense of placeAnimalsConservation and environmental issues
Legacy
Rick Bass is recognized as a writer and activist with deep insight into nature and place; his stories and essays have influenced contemporary American environmental literature. His papers are held in multiple university archives, and he remains active in education and conservation.
Academic Societies
- James Jones Literary Society (award affiliation)
Archives
- Sowell Family Collection in Literature, Community, and the Natural World (Texas Tech University)
- Wittliff Collections (Texas State University–San Marcos)
- MSS 8192 (L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Brigham Young University)
Trivia
- Born 1958 in Fort Worth; grew up in Houston.
- Holds a B.S. in Geology (focus in Wildlife) from Utah State University.
- Worked as a petroleum geologist and wildlife biologist before becoming a writer.
- Moved to the Yaak Valley in Montana and has been active in local conservation efforts against roads and logging.
- Winner of The Story Prize in 2016.
- Papers held at Texas Tech University and Texas State University collections.
- Married Elizabeth Hughes Bass in 1987; divorced in 2015; two children.
- Teaches in the Stonecoast MFA low-residency program.