Meet Ben, General Manager
I began at Brazos Bookstore in 2014 as events coordinator and, shortly thereafter, marketing director. In January 2017, I became the store’s general manager.
I’m a fiction writer whose work has appeared in many literary journals and received honorable mention in The Best American Nonrequired Reading and The Pushcart Prize Anthology. My nonfiction appears in Kirkus Reviews, The Rumpus, Electric Literature’s The Outlet, Houston Chronicle, The Texas Observer, Local Houston Magazine, The Literary Hub, and elsewhere. I have taught creative writing at the University of Arizona (where I received my MFA and was editor-in-chief of Sonora Review), and I have also taught in Houston at Inprint, Grackle & Grackle, and Writespace. My debut novel, The Sadness, came out in 2016 from Unnamed Press (in Los Angeles).
I am on the board of directors for the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association, where I chair the Reading the West Award committee. I am also a member of the advisory board for Gulf Coast, the University of Houston's renowned literary magazine.
As a writer, I understand the difficulty of publication and the importance of supporting new authors—not only those from big publishers, but also those from independent ones. Therefore, my reading habits often lead me to books from small presses—especially fiction that pushes against the boundaries of the form while also creating resonant characters that, if not always likeable, are at least understandable. As manager, I enjoy reaching out a hand to the larger Houston literary community, strengthening old bonds and forging new ones.
Ben's Articles
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