User:Contenteditor143/Caleb J. Ross

Caleb J. Ross (born Caleb Ross, August 20, 1982, in Adak, Alaska) is an American writer of literary noir fiction and literary grotesque fiction. . He received his BA degree in English Literature and minor in Creative Writing from Emporia State University in 2005.

Caleb describes his work as literary in that it focuses on language rather than plot.

Ross' work has been compared to that of Chuck Palahniuk, Darren Aronofsky, Kurt Vonnegut, Dave Eggers, and Sherman Alexie

Based on the merit of his short story, "The Camel of Morocco” (which appears in the story chapbook Charactered Pieces: stories), Caleb attended the Tin House Writers Workshop in Portland, Oregon in 2004 where he studied with author Peter Rock. He was the first ESU student ever to place in the competition for entrance into the Tin House Writers Workshop.

In June 2007, Southwest Airlines in-flight magazine Spirit Magazine featured a letter to the editor penned by Ross in appreciation of a recent issue featuring musician Tom Waits. During a subsequent Southwest Airlines flight, Ross received a free rum and coke for his contribution to the magazine. This event inspired the non-fiction essay “The Author Who Gets Free Drinks, a (Hopefully) True Story,” which Ross performed on April 9th, 2010 in Denver, Colorado at Leela European Cafe.

In 2011, Caleb embarked on a massive blog post tour in support of his novels Stranger Will and I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin. From March 2011 through November 2011, Caleb contributed guest posts to over 70 blogs, ranging from literary blogs like HTML Giant, Big Other, >Kill Author, LitDrift, and The Nervous Breakdown to personal blogs of authors such as Matt Bell, Nik Korpon, Stephen Graham Jones, Paul G. Tremblay, and Ben Tanzer.

Education

 * Bachelor of Arts, English Literature Areas of focus: Contemporary American literature, American short story
 * Minor: Creative Writing Areas of focus: Fiction, postmodernism, metafiction
 * Author Residency: Tin House Writers Workshop, Reed College, Portland, Oregon. (10 July – 18 July, 2004)
 * The Contortionist’s Hotseat A six-week writing intensive taught by Craig Clevenger, author of the novels The Contortionist’s Handbook and Dermaphoria. (2007)

Professional Work

 * Creator/Moderator, The World’s First Author Podcast (2011-present)
 * Creator/Moderator, The Velvet Podcast (2010-present)
 * Editor/creator, AWP Blog (2009-present)
 * Editor/creator, Oprah Read This > Oprah, Read This online fiction anthology (2009-2010)
 * Reader/intern, MacAdam Cage Publishing (2009)
 * Co-editor, Outsider Writers Collective, webzine (2008-present), OW Press (2009-present)
 * Co-editor, Colored Chalk zine (2008-2009)
 * Contributor, Oxyfictation.net, book reviewer (2008-2009)
 * Contributor, Thirdeye magazine, book reviewer (2007)
 * Contributor, Depraved Press, book reviewer (2007-2008)
 * President, Sigma Tau Delta (2005)
 * Editor and Contributor for Flint Hills Review (2004-05)
 * Editor, Quivira student literary journal (2002-2005)
 * Judge, Kansas Writers Association Novel Competition
 * Reader, The Bluestem National Poetry Award

Readings and Lectures

 * ESU Visiting Writers Series presents Caleb J. Ross, Emporia, KS (08 September 2011)
 * Live Nude Words reading, Washington, D.C, The Velvet Lounge, Stranger Will excerpt and “An Equestrian of Mental Health,” (03 February 2011)
 * Panelist, AWP Conference, “The Art and Authenticity of Social Media: Using Online Tools to Grow a Community.” Washington D.C, (04 February 2011)
 * OW Press The Velvet reading, Denver, CO, Leela European Cafe, “The Author Who Gets Free Drinks, a (Hopefully) True Story,” (09 April 2010)

Interviews and Articles

 * “Published Grad Credits Writing Program” (2011) - The Bulletin, Emporia State University
 * Warmed & Bound Collection – The Multiple Voices Inside Your Book (2011) - Jay Slayton-Joslin’s blog
 * Episode #25 – Caleb J Ross: Warmed and Bound Sessions (2011) - Booked Podcast
 * Six Personal Investigations of the Act of Reading: Caleb J. Ross’ Stranger Will (2011) - Sunday Observer
 * Ten Everywhere: Caleb J. Ross and the Stranger Will Tour For Strange (2011) - Monkeybicycle
 * “I absolutely could not write Stranger Will today, with a kid” : An Interview with Caleb J. Ross (2011) - NOO Journal
 * Booked Podcast: Episode 11 – Interview with Caleb J. Ross (2011) - Booked Podcast
 * This Podcast Will Change Your Life: Episode 37 (2011) - Ben Tanzer
 * Caleb J Ross – Author of ‘Stranger Will’ and Internet Rockstar (2011) - Jay Slayton-Joslin
 * Dispatches from Thunder Road: Stranger Will (2011) - Mlaz Corbier
 * A dialogue with Caleb J Ross through the filter of his short fiction collection Charactered Pieces (2010) - Predicate #1
 * “The Interview” with Caleb J Ross (2010) - Asnycnow Radio’s “The World Today” on Blog Talk Radio
 * The Victorious History of Caleb Ross (2009) - JMWW
 * A Conversatinterview with Caleb J Ross (2009) - Pela Via’s blog
 * Blank und Questions Asks: an interview with author Caleb J Ross (2009) - Gordon Highland
 * Five for: Caleb J Ross (2009) - 3:AM Magazine
 * Reader Meet Author: Caleb J. Ross (2009) - What to Wear During an Orange Alert
 * Interview with Caleb J Ross (2009) - Craig Wallwork blog
 * Oxyfication Interview (2007) - Oxyfication.net
 * “Student studies writing with professional writers” (2004) - The Bulletin, Emporia State University

Awards

 * Kay Alden Creative Writing Scholarship (2003) from Emporia State University
 * Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Semifinalist, top 100 out of 5,000 (2008)

Novels and Short Story Collections

 * As a Machine and Parts (2011)
 * I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin (2011)
 * Stranger Will (2011)
 * Charactered Pieces: stories (2009)

Short Stories

 * “untitled” (part of the Life in 100 Words or Less project) (2011)
 * “untitled” (part of the Pushcorpse project) (2011)
 * Evenson’s Tongue (2011)
 * Click-Clack (2011)
 * Noise (2011)
 * As a Machine and Parts (novella excerpt, chapters 1 & 2) (2010)
 * Born Again Michael (2010)
 * Legs Unwilling (2010)
 * Sarah Palin, 12, Strikes for Workers (2010)
 * Charactered Pieces (2009)
 * The Camel of Morocco (2009)
 * Globe Valve (2009)
 * An Optimist is the Human Personification of Spring (2009)
 * My Family's Rule (2009)
 * E!Morphosis (2009)
 * Emoticon (2009)
 * It Sparks (2009)
 * Norman Rockwell Nostalgia (2009)
 * Reviews: Caroline Meyer’s Hidden Cigarette Butt, Joel Reynolds’s Dried Bar of Soap (2009)
 * Snake Girl at Scab (2009)
 * The Word Will Die Too (2009)
 * The Camp (2008)
 * Eyelid (2008)
 * Formaldehyde (2008)
 * A Trench is No Place For God (2008)
 * Car Dodging (2008)
 * Exhibit One – A Letter from Alex Fumar (2008)
 * The Barber Who Calls Himself Ferguson (2008)
 * Vertigo Unbalanced (2008)
 * Dry Dot (2007)
 * Our Guy (2007)
 * Refill (2006)
 * 5″ x 6″ in a Sturdy Frame (2006)
 * Petty Injuries (2006)

Non-Fiction

 * Denis Johnson Almost Drank My Pee (2011)
 * Even Strippers Bleed Red (2011)
 * Will Write for ACID Roam (2011)
 * The Author Who Gets Free Drinks: a (Hopefully) True Story (2010)
 * A Chinese Gemini (2009)