Joe M. O'Connell is an American novelist, documentary filmmaker, short story writer, photographer and journalist based in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. Considered an expert on the Texas film scene, O'Connell wrote columns about the Texas film industry that appeared in the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'' from 2000 to 2004 (titled "On Location"), in the ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' from 2005 to 2011 (as "Shot in Texas") and in ''The Austin Chronicle'' from 2004 to 2009 (as "Film News.") His film articles also have been published regularly in the ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

'' since 1997 and nationally in '' Variety''. He has also contributed to '' Texas Monthly''. His documentary film Love and Other Stunts examines the life of B-movie stuntman

Gary Kent Gary Kent (born June 7, 1933) is an American film director, actor, and stuntperson notable for his appearances in various independent, grindhouse and exploitation films. A native of Washington, Kent studied at the University of Washington before ...

. In 2017 he was at work on a second documentary titled Rondo and Bob about

Robert A. Burns Robert A. Burns (May 27, 1944 – May 31, 2004) was an American art director and production designer who worked on many films including ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'', ''The Hills Have Eyes'', ''The Howling'', ''Re-Animator'', and '' From Beyon ...

, the art director for

The Texas Chain Saw massacre ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper from a story and screenplay by Hooper and Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, w ...

, and his obsession with actor

Rondo Hatton Rondo Hatton (April 22, 1894 – February 2, 1946) was an American journalist and actor. After writing for ''The Tampa Tribune'', Hatton found a career in film due to his unique facial features, which were the result of acromegaly. He headlin ...

. Born in Austin, Texas, to noted architect William R. O'Connell and nurse Wylma Castleberry O'Connell Ruelke, Joe was raised mainly in Austin, but lived briefly in

Northglenn, Colorado The City of Northglenn is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Northglenn is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census the city's populati ...

, and India. He then went to

Southwest Texas State University Texas State University is a public university, public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin, Greater Austin metropolitan area ...

and received a degree in journalism in 1984. O'Connell worked as a newspaper reporter/editor in various cities around Texas, concentrating on covering government and politics. He later returned to SWT (now known as Texas State University) to earn an MFA in creative writing in 1995 while working long distance with the late, famed short-story writer

Andre Dubus Andre Jules Dubus II (August 11, 1936 – February 24, 1999) was an American short story writer and essayist. Biography Early life and education Andre Jules Dubus II was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the youngest child of Katherine (Burke) ...

. His first novel, ''Evacuation Plan'', centered in a residential hospice was published in 2007 by Dalton Publishing, won the North Texas Book Festival Award in fiction, and was a finalist for the Violet Crown Book Award given by the

Writers' League of Texas The Writers' League of Texas was established in 1981 as the Austin Writers' League in Austin, Texas. It is a nonprofit professional organization whose primary purpose is to provide a forum for information, support, and sharing among writers, to help ...

. O'Connell's short stories have taken first prize at both the Deep South Writers Conference and the Louzelle Rose Barclay Awards, and have been published in literary journals including '' The G.W. Review'', ''Confrontation'', ''Lullwater Review'' and ''Other Voices''. O'Connell currently teaches writing at

St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC ...

and Austin Community College. He lives outside Austin, Texas, with his wife and young son.

References

External links

personal page of Joe M. O'Connell

review of novel Evacuation Plan

Author interview about Evacuation Plan

articles by O'Connell in The Austin Chronicle

film reviews in Rotten Tomatoes

O'Connell writing about photography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Joe M. 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American male journalists Writers from Austin, Texas American film critics Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Texas 21st-century American non-fiction writers St. Edward's University faculty Texas State University alumni