W. K. Stratton
Encyclopedia
W.K. Stratton is an American
writer
, known for his historical
non-fiction
publications. Stratton lives in suburban Austin
, Texas
. (Note: This is not the actor W. K. Stratton from the television show Baa Baa Black Sheep
.)
, Oklahoma
, he graduated from high school there and attended the nearby University of Central Oklahoma
(at the time known as Central State University), where he took at B.A. in English and an M.A. in English, with an emphasis on Creative Studies; he wrote a novel for his thesis.
To support himself through college, he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor on his hometown daily. He spent ten years as a newspaper journalist, including a stint on the Tulsa World.
He worked in politics as well, serving as Reading Clerk
and as a press aide for the Oklahoma State Senate and was a voter education consultant for the Oklahoma State Election Board
, which was affiliated with the State Senate. He also managed two political campaign
s.
, Outside
and other magazines, including a stint as a contributing editor for Oklahoma Today
, he began a 15-year freelance affiliation with the Dallas Morning News, contributing criticism and occasionally columns and feature stories. He later was published in GQ Magazine.
To support his writing career, he worked at a variety of day-jobs, including as a college English
instructor, trade magazine editor, and technical writer. Eventually he became a successful manager at an international high tech company, National Instruments
, focusing on technical documentation and product localization.
In 2002, Crown, an imprint of Random House
, published his first book, Backyard Brawl, which explored the University of Texas-Texas A&M University
football rivalry while examining cultural evolution in modern Texas. Both historical and anecdotal, the book captures both the Texan love of football, and the context from which this love arises.
Two years later, Harcourt published his memoir, Chasing the Rodeo, a multifaceted history of rodeo that also traces the life and origins of his runaway birth father, who was a rodeo
cowboy
in the 1950s and 60s.
Also in 2004, the University of Texas Press
published Splendor in the Short Grass: A Grover Lewis Reader, the first comprehensive collection of Texas cult writer Grover Lewis's work. Stratton co-edited that book with his close friend Jan Reid, a novelist, nonfiction author, and longtime contributor to Texas Monthly
and other magazines.
In his mid-40s, Stratton began training earnestly as a white-collar boxer at R. Lord's Gym in Austin, and this would influence his future writing projects. In 2006, he received contracts for his next two books. The first, to be published by the University of Texas Press, is a collaboration with pioneering female boxer Anissa Zamarron dealing with her successful recovery from psychological problems and her subsequent winning of two world boxing titles. The second project is the first comprehensive biography of two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson
, tentatively titled Black White Hope: The Burdens of Floyd Patterson. It will be published by Harcourt
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, known for his historical
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
publications. Stratton lives in suburban Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. (Note: This is not the actor W. K. Stratton from the television show Baa Baa Black Sheep
Baa Baa Black Sheep (TV series)
Baa Baa Black Sheep is a television series that aired on NBC from 1976 until 1978. Its premise was based on the experiences of United States Marine Corps aviator Pappy Boyington and his World War II "Black Sheep Squadron". The series was created and produced by Stephen J. Cannell...
.)
Early life and career
A native of GuthrieGuthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, he graduated from high school there and attended the nearby University of Central Oklahoma
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma, often referred to as UCO, is a coeducational public university located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The university is the third largest in Oklahoma, with almost 18,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty...
(at the time known as Central State University), where he took at B.A. in English and an M.A. in English, with an emphasis on Creative Studies; he wrote a novel for his thesis.
To support himself through college, he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor on his hometown daily. He spent ten years as a newspaper journalist, including a stint on the Tulsa World.
He worked in politics as well, serving as Reading Clerk
Reading Clerk
A Reading Clerk is a position held by a person who carries out duties such as recording attendance and administering oaths....
and as a press aide for the Oklahoma State Senate and was a voter education consultant for the Oklahoma State Election Board
Oklahoma State Election Board
The Oklahoma State Election Board is the governing body regarding elections in the state of Oklahoma. The Board is responsible for maintaining uniformy in the application, operation and interpretation of State and Federal election laws...
, which was affiliated with the State Senate. He also managed two political campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
s.
Career as writer
In the late 1980s, he relocated to Central Texas. After successfully selling freelance articles to Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, Outside
Outside (magazine)
Outside is an American magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue debuted in September 1977 with its mission statement declaring that the publication was "dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors..."Its founders were...
and other magazines, including a stint as a contributing editor for Oklahoma Today
Oklahoma Today
Oklahoma Today is the official magazine of the State of Oklahoma, United States, published in cooperation with the state department of tourism and recreation. It provides its readers the best of Oklahoma's people, places, travel, culture, food and outdoors in six issues a year.Oklahoma Today has...
, he began a 15-year freelance affiliation with the Dallas Morning News, contributing criticism and occasionally columns and feature stories. He later was published in GQ Magazine.
To support his writing career, he worked at a variety of day-jobs, including as a college English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
instructor, trade magazine editor, and technical writer. Eventually he became a successful manager at an international high tech company, National Instruments
National Instruments
National Instruments Corporation, or NI , is an American company with over 5,000 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, it is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software...
, focusing on technical documentation and product localization.
In 2002, Crown, an imprint of Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, published his first book, Backyard Brawl, which explored the University of Texas-Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
football rivalry while examining cultural evolution in modern Texas. Both historical and anecdotal, the book captures both the Texan love of football, and the context from which this love arises.
Two years later, Harcourt published his memoir, Chasing the Rodeo, a multifaceted history of rodeo that also traces the life and origins of his runaway birth father, who was a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
in the 1950s and 60s.
Also in 2004, the University of Texas Press
University of Texas Press
The University of Texas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1950, the Press publishes scholarly books in several areas, including Latin American studies, Texana, anthropology, U.S...
published Splendor in the Short Grass: A Grover Lewis Reader, the first comprehensive collection of Texas cult writer Grover Lewis's work. Stratton co-edited that book with his close friend Jan Reid, a novelist, nonfiction author, and longtime contributor to Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
and other magazines.
In his mid-40s, Stratton began training earnestly as a white-collar boxer at R. Lord's Gym in Austin, and this would influence his future writing projects. In 2006, he received contracts for his next two books. The first, to be published by the University of Texas Press, is a collaboration with pioneering female boxer Anissa Zamarron dealing with her successful recovery from psychological problems and her subsequent winning of two world boxing titles. The second project is the first comprehensive biography of two-time world heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
, tentatively titled Black White Hope: The Burdens of Floyd Patterson. It will be published by Harcourt
Harcourt (publisher)
Harcourt was a United States publishing firm with a long history of publishing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. The company was based in San Diego, California, with an Editorial / Sales / Marketing / Rights offices in New York City and Orlando, Florida.In 2007, the U.S...
.
External links
- W.K. Stratton's website
- Stratton talks with Texas Public Radio's Ernie Villarreal. November 25, 2005 Interview of Author
- Publisher’s Weekly Discusses one of his books.
- mentioned in Austin Chronicle