Ron Rash

Ron Rash (born September 25, 1953), an American poet, short story writer and novelist, is the Parris Distinguished Professor in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University.
Early life.
Rash was born on September 25, 1953 in Chester, South Carolina and grew up in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. He is a graduate of Gardner-Webb University and Clemson University from which he holds a B.A. and M.A. in English, respectively.
Career.
Rash's poems and stories have appeared in more than 100 magazines and journals. "Serena" received enthusiastic reviews across and beyond the United States and was a 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist.
In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Rash has achieved international acclaim as a short story author, winning the Frank O'Connor Award in 2010 for "Burning Bright." Recent work such as "The Outlaws" ("Oxford American", Summer, 2013) focused on ordinary lives in southern Appalachia. Scholars have praised his ability to find the universal within the particulars of place, citing his writing's "universal appeal, lyrical grace, and narrative efficiency." Jim Coby examined Rash's use of mystery thriller tropes in "One Foot in Eden." While Rash’s work certainly fits within the “Appalachian Noir” genre, a critic for the Atlanta Journal Constitution has asserted that “Rash belongs to the loftier realm of literary fiction.” 
Ron Rash holds the John and Dorothy Parris Professorship in Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University, where he teaches poetry and fiction-writing in the Department of English.