Caleb J. Ross
Encyclopedia
Caleb J. Ross is an American writer of literary
noir fiction and literary
grotesque fiction
.. He is most well known for his novel Stranger Will. He currently lives in the Kansas City, KS suburb of Olathe.
where he lived until 2000.
During his 15 years in Osage City, Ross and his family (including two sisters, one younger and one older) lived in 11 different houses. These oft displacements, coupled with a lack of strong paternal guidance, would prove to the be the thematic basis for much of his writing.
In 2000 Ross moved to Emporia, Kansas
to attend Emporia State University with intentions to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, in the middle of a sophomore level compositional drawing class he abandoned the visual arts direction in favor of creative writing. He cites his professor, Amy Sage Webb, as “almost single-handedly [opening his] eyes to what reading and writing, motivated by creativity, could do.”
Ross 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), Ross 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 9, 2010 in Denver, Colorado at Leela European Cafe.
In 2011, Ross 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, Ross 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.
Literary fiction
Literary fiction is a term that came into common usage during the early 1960s. The term is principally used to distinguish "serious fiction" which is a work that claims to hold literary merit, in comparison from genre fiction and popular fiction . In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more upon...
noir fiction and literary
Literary fiction
Literary fiction is a term that came into common usage during the early 1960s. The term is principally used to distinguish "serious fiction" which is a work that claims to hold literary merit, in comparison from genre fiction and popular fiction . In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more upon...
grotesque fiction
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
.. He is most well known for his novel Stranger Will. He currently lives in the Kansas City, KS suburb of Olathe.
Life
Caleb Ross was born in Adak, Alaska on August 20, 1982 on a military base. Within three months his family moved to Maryland where his father served in the Navy. Within five years his parents divorced and Ross moved with his mother to Osage City, KansasOsage City, Kansas
Osage City is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,034 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Osage City is located at...
where he lived until 2000.
During his 15 years in Osage City, Ross and his family (including two sisters, one younger and one older) lived in 11 different houses. These oft displacements, coupled with a lack of strong paternal guidance, would prove to the be the thematic basis for much of his writing.
In 2000 Ross moved to Emporia, Kansas
Emporia, Kansas
Emporia is a city in and the county seat of Lyon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 24,916. Emporia lies between Topeka and Wichita at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 with Interstates 335 and 35 on the Kansas Turnpike...
to attend Emporia State University with intentions to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, in the middle of a sophomore level compositional drawing class he abandoned the visual arts direction in favor of creative writing. He cites his professor, Amy Sage Webb, as “almost single-handedly [opening his] eyes to what reading and writing, motivated by creativity, could do.”
Ross describes his work as literary in that it focuses on language rather than plot.
Ross' work has been compared to that of Chuck Palahniuk
Chuck Palahniuk
Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American transgressional fiction novelist and freelance journalist. He is best known for the award-winning novel Fight Club, which was later made into a film directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter...
, Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
, Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...
, Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
, and Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie
Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is a writer, poet, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American. Two of Alexie's best known works are The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven , a book of short stories and Smoke Signals, a film...
Based on the merit of his short story, "The Camel of Morocco” (which appears in the story chapbook Charactered Pieces: stories), Ross attended the Tin House Writers Workshop in Portland, Oregon in 2004 where he studied with author Peter Rock
Peter Rock
Peter Rock is an American novelist born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is an associate professor of creative writing at Reed College....
. 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
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
. 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 9, 2010 in Denver, Colorado at Leela European Cafe.
In 2011, Ross 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, Ross 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
Matt Bell
Matthew Elwin Bell is a professional race car driver. Bell was born in Mountain View, California. Although Bell grew up in Los Altos, California, he attended Mountain View High School from which he graduated in 2004. After graduation, he pursued transportation design at the Academy of Art...
, Nik Korpon
Nik Korpon
Nik Korpon is the author of the Neo-noir thriller Stay God, released by Otherworld Publications in December 2010, the novellas Old Ghosts, and By the Nails of the Warpriest and the story collections Baltimore Stories: Volume One and Baltimore Stories: Volume Two...
, Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfeet Native American author of experimental fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and science fiction. He shares a fan base with fellow authors Will Christopher Baer and Craig Clevenger known as . November 16, 2010 Stephen will have a collection of short stories...
, Paul G. Tremblay
Paul G. Tremblay
Paul G. Tremblay is an American author and editor of contemporary horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. Tremblay received two Bram Stoker Award nominations in 2007 and he is a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards.- Biography :...
, and Ben Tanzer.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts, English Literature Areas of focus: Contemporary American literature, American short story (Emporia State UniversityEmporia State UniversityEmporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
)- Minor: Creative Writing Areas of focus: Fiction, postmodernism, metafiction (Emporia State UniversityEmporia State UniversityEmporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
) - President, Sigma Tau Delta (2004)
- Minor: Creative Writing Areas of focus: Fiction, postmodernism, metafiction (Emporia State University
- Author Residency: Tin House Writers Workshop, Reed College, Portland, Oregon. (10–18 July 2004)
- The Contortionist’s Hotseat: A six-week writing intensive taught by Craig ClevengerCraig ClevengerCraig Clevenger is an American author of contemporary fiction. Born 1964 in Dallas, Texas, he grew up in Southern California where he studied English at California State University, Long Beach. He is the author of two novels, The Contortionist's Handbook and Dermaphoria, both released by MacAdam/Cage...
, author of the novels The Contortionist's HandbookThe Contortionist's Handbook-Plot summary:John Dolan Vincent is a talented young forger with a proclivity for mathematics and drug addiction. In the face of his impending institutionalization, he continually reinvents himself to escape the legal and mental health authorities and to save himself from a life of incarceration....
and DermaphoriaDermaphoriaDermaphoria is a novel written by American author Craig Clevenger.-Plot summary:Eric Ashworth awakens in jail, unable to remember how he got there or why. All he does remember is a woman's name: Desiree....
. (2007)
Editorial 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)
- Co-editor, Outsider Writers Collective, webzine (2008–present), OW Press (2009–present)
- Reader/intern, MacAdam Cage Publishing (2009)
- Co-editor, Colored Chalk zine (2008–2009)
- 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
Contributor Work
- Contributor, Oxyfictation.net, book reviewer (2008–2009)
- Contributor, Thirdeye magazine, book reviewer (2007)
- Contributor, Depraved Press, book reviewer (2007–2008)
Readings and Lectures
- ESU Visiting Writers Series presents Caleb J. Ross, Emporia, KS (8 September 2011)
- Live Nude Words reading, Washington, D.C, The Velvet Lounge, Stranger Will excerpt and “An Equestrian of Mental Health,” (3 February 2011)
- Super Sexy 100% Classy Author Reading, Kansas City, Missouri, Method, As a Machine and Parts excerpt (2011)
- Artjerk reading, Kansas City, Missouri, Slap n' Tickle Gallery, Will Write for ACID (a version of Will Write for Tobacco as appears at BULL Men's Fiction) (2011)
- Panelist, AWP Conference, “The Art and Authenticity of Social Media: Using Online Tools to Grow a Community.” Washington D.C, (4 February 2011)
- OW Press The Velvet reading, Denver, CO, Leela European Cafe, “The Author Who Gets Free Drinks, a (Hopefully) True Story,” (9 April 2010)
Interviews and Articles
- The Digital Age of Domestic Grotesque: An Interview with Caleb J. Ross (2011) - Solarcide
- “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 UniversityEmporia State UniversityEmporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
- Amazon Breakthrough Novel AwardAmazon Breakthrough Novel AwardThe Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award is a contest sponsored by Amazon.com, Penguin Group, Hewlett Packard, CreateSpace and BookSurge to publish and promote a manuscript by an unknown or unpublished author...
Semifinalist, top 100 out of 5,000 (2008)
Published Novels and Short Story Collections
- As a Machine and Parts (2011)
- I Didn’t Mean to be Kevin (2011)
- Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One (2011)
- Stranger Will (2011)
- Charactered Pieces: stories (2009)
Published 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)
Published 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)