A Letter from Marfa - Hardcover

Tom Shuford

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1427609063 ISBN 13: 9781427609069

Publisher: Desert-Mountain Institute, 2006

Synopsis

A Letter From Marfa and other tales is a collection of short stories, each capturing the essence of little victories by little people who loom large on the Far West Texas landscape. Shuford's keen ear for dialect, power of observation and insight into people create a reality that causes the reader to feel present in unforgettable scenes of tragicomic adventures. This is Shufod's first published fiction, and it's a gem.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Shuford is a retired journalism professor, who for nearly three decades at te University of Texas at Arlington instructed countless students in the joys of a well-crafted sentence and an accurate, insightful news story. He particularly enjoyed the opportunity to train future journalists in the skills of interviewing and in the writing of personality profiles that captured the essence of the person being profiled. He also taught public affairs reporting and media law. He served as a director for the Texas Freedom of Information Foundation and was the principal author of a handbook on media law for Texas journalists. he published a newsletter on Texas Open Meetings and Open Records law. Shuford has worked as a freelance writer, whose stories have appeared in a number of Texas magazines and newspapers; a reporter for the Denton Record-Chronicle; co-editor of Texas PTA magazine, news editor for the Desert-Mountain Times, of Alpine, Texas; and a reporter for the Big Bend Sentinel, of Marfa, Texas. The proud father of six children and seven grandchioldren, he currently resides in Marfa.

Review

"People say West Texas has more than its share of 'characters,' and Tom Shuford illustrates this premise in a sparkling series of fictional character pieces, largely set in the Big Bend Country. You may recognize some of these people." --Elmer Kelton, seven-time winner of the Spur Award

"In just a few pages of deceptively simple sentences and a few lines of dialogue, Tom Shuford is somehow able to evoke entire lives. A Letter from Marfa is a constant pleasure and an extraordinary book." --Bryan Woolley, Texas author and journalist

"Crafted lean and spare, Tom Shuford's stories are peopled by loners with intriguing pasts and neighbors whose terse and funny lines hearten and console. Their voices and tales resonate long after the last page is turned." --Jan Reid, award-winning Texas author

About this edition

• Publisher: Desert-Mountain Institute
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1427609063
• ISBN 13: 9781427609069
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 115
• Illustrator: Dodie Meeks