'Always about the most important things'

 

“Reading is probably what leads most writers to writing.” – Richard Ford

 

A novelist, short story writer and award-winning editor, Ford is perhaps best-known for his novels The Sportswriter and its sequels, Independence Day (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and The PEN/Faulkner Award), The Lay of the Land and Let Me Be Frank with You, also a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

 

A native Mississippian born on this date in 1944, Ford also wrote the terrific short story collection Rock Springs, which has been widely anthologized. A story collection mostly set in Montana, it includes some of his most popular stories and cemented his reputation as one of the finest writers of the last 50 years.

 

Ford struggled with dyslexia in his growing up years and didn’t get seriously interested in even reading literature until his college days at Michigan State.  He has stated in interviews that his dyslexia may, however, have helped him as a reader and writer forcing him to read and write at a slow and thoughtful pace.

 

Like many great writers, Ford states the best way to be a great writer is to write about what you know best.  “Happiness for me,” he said,  “is getting to write about the most important things I know.”