English grad Jason Skipper hits the publishing trail with new book.
by Katy TerBerg
Texas native Jason Skipper, who received his Ph.D. in Creative Writing at WMU in 2005, has released his debut novel, “Hustle,” which chronicles the lives of three Texan men struggling to make up for their past, and somehow set course for the future.
Skipper earned his Master’s of Creative Writing at Miami University before heading north to Michigan to pursue his Ph.D. While at WMU, Skipper served as fiction editor for “Third Coast,” a national literary magazine published at WMU. His stories have earned him numerous literary awards from respected publishing companies, including Zoetrope: All-Story, Glimmer Train, and Crab Orchard Review. He currently teaches creative writing and literature at Pacific Lutheran University and lives in Tacoma, Wash.
His coming-of-age novel features an alcoholic ex-con grandfather; a philandering seafood salesman son; and a struggling musician grandson. Each were hustlers in different areas. Grandfather hustled for money, the son hustled women, and the grandson has hustled for fame. They all are now hustling for redemption.
This multi-character, multi-layered story caught the attention of several authors, including Charles Baxter, Peter Orner, Stuart Dybek, and Jaimy Gordon, who gave “Hustle” a glowing review. Gordon referred to the book as “A Southern portrait of the artist as a young man, with marvelous characters that keep you savoring every scene.”
More information about the book and upcoming event information may be found on Skipper’s official website, http://www.jasonskipper.com.
Links:
Department of English
