Richard Currey (born 1949) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author born in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. He is known for his writing of the

Vietnam era Vietnam Era is a term used by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to classify veterans of the Vietnam War. Various departments of federal, state and local governments as well as private employers often give Vietnam Era veterans sp ...

and of West Virginia. He is the recipient of two NEA fellowships.

Early life and education

Born in

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...

, Currey went on to serve as a

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

medical corpsman between 1968 and 1972. He enrolled at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

after his time in the service, and stayed there until 1974. He attended

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

, an

HBCU Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

, from 1974 until 1979.

Career

In his writings, Currey often reflects on his own experiences of military service, family, and living in West Virginia. He has been nominated for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

, is an

O. Henry Award The O. Henry Award is an annual American award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American short-story writer O. Henry. The ''PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories'' is an annual collection of the year's twenty best ...

winner, a

PEN/Hemingway Award The PEN/Hemingway Award is awarded annually to a full-length novel or book of short stories by an American author who has not previously published a full-length book of fiction. The award is named after Ernest Hemingway and funded by the Hemingway ...

finalist, and has served as the DH Lawrence Fellow in Literature and writer in residence at

The University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. He is a speaker on the topic of the intersection of art and the military.

Bibliography

* '' Crossing Over: A Vietnam Journal'' (1980)

Applewood Books Applewood Books is a publishing company which specializes in reissuing original versions of historical books, founded by Phil Zuckerman in 1976. Its popular reprints include a hardcover edition of the Constitution of the United States; Robert L. ...

, reprinted by

Santa Fe Writers Project The Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) was founded in 1998 by Andrew Gifford. It began as a small effort supported by writers and arts advocates, and has since grown into a well-known independent press. SFWP hosts a literary awards program and an ...

, 2018 * '' Fatal Light'' (1988)

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American Publishing, book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton ( ...

, reprinted by Santa Fe Writers Project, 2009 * '' The Wars of Heaven'' (1990)

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Financial Dist ...

, reprinted by Santa Fe Writers Project, 2014 * '' Medicine For Sale: Commercialism vs. Professionalism'' (1992)

Whittle Communications H. Christopher Whittle (born August 24, 1947) is an American entrepreneur who has founded four innovative companies in the fields of education and media, serving as the CEO of each. Whittle Communications, a 1,000-person magazine, television, and ...

* '' Lost Highway'' (1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currey, Richard 1949 births Living people West Virginia University alumni United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American writers Military personnel from Parkersburg, West Virginia Writers from West Virginia Howard University alumni