Remembering Barry Hannah

Barry Hannah died on March 1, 2010, but I was fortunate enough to have become his friend long before then and, later, to have him teach in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Texas State University, which I direct. Fortunately for those of us who loved and admired Barry as a writer, a friend, or both, videotapes of a Q & A session and two readings that he gave while he taught here still exist. The readings took place in 2003 and 2004 at the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center, which is based in Katherine Anne Porter’s childhood home, ten miles from campus. I thought that many of you might like to hear what he to say, so feel free to click on any of the following links and listen. — Tom Grimes

Barry’s first reading, during which he encourages a young novelist:

Barrry’s Q & A, in which he talks about the role of place in fiction a hardly gives anyone a chance to ask a question:

Barry’s second reading, fall 2004, during which he muses on Texas hippies, pills, writing about your own backyard and the “imposing and handsome” Katherine Anne Porter; he then reads “Uncle High Lonesome” from High Lonesome. — Bearden Coleman

– Tom Grimes directs the MFA Program at Texas State University.

– Bearden Coleman is a graduate of the MFA Program at Texas State University where he studied with and, during that time, became a close friend of Barry Hannah.