Greg Garrett (born November 6, 1961, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a writer, professor, preacher, retreat leader, and musician based in Austin, Texas.
Born November 6, 1961, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Garrett attended Mustang High School in Mustang, Oklahoma. He then went on to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he received his B.A. in English with a minor in History and was a member of Alpha Chi and Phi Alpha Theta national honor societies. He continued his education at University of Central Oklahoma, receiving an M.A. in Creative Studies (his thesis was a novel, Bicentennial Summer).
Greg received his Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University in 1989. Baylor University || English Department || Greg Garrett His dissertation was Bloodmetal, a screenplay. He continued his education with post-doctoral studies in Holocaust Studies at University of Oregon in 1997, and received a Masters of Divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2007.
Garrett’s novel Free Bird The Austin Chronicle: Books: Readings was published in 2002. Amazon.com: Free Bird: Greg Garrett: Books It drew favorable critical attention and was a publisher nominee for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. It was also a Publishers Weekly First Fiction honoree and a finalist for the Violet Crown Award for Texas letters.
Cycling, a novel published in 2003 Amazon.com: Cycling: Greg Garrett: Books, was a finalist for the William Faulkner Prize for Fiction, the James Jones First Novel Fellowship, the Bakeless Literary Prize, and the Violet Crown Award for Texas Letters. It was also a publisher nominee for the 2003 National Book Award.
Nonfiction and Memoirs
Garrett is the author of several nonfiction works on religion and pop culture, including The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in the Matrix(with Chris Seay) USATODAY.com - 'Matrix' world is all-consuming in mythology, mysticism Amazon.com: The Gospel Reloaded: Exploring Spirituality and Faith in The Matrix: Chris Seay, Greg Garrett: Books (nominated for the 2004 Gold Medallion Book Award), Holy Superheroes! Exploring Faith and Spirituality in Comics At the comics shop, religion goes graphic - MORE NEWS AND FEATURES - MSNBC.com Amazon.com: Holy Superheroes: Exploring Faith And Spirituality In Comic Books: Greg Garrett: Books (a revised and expanded second edition, Holy Superheroes! Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film Amazon.com: Holy Superheroes! Revised and Expanded Edition: Exploring the Sacred in Comics, Graphic Novels, and Film: Greg Garrett: Books, was published in 2008), and The Gospel According to Hollywood Greg Garrett: Saved by the Movies - 5/9/2007 - Publishers Weekly Amazon.com: The Gospel According to Hollywood: Greg Garrett: Books. He is an author of The Voice the voice, a forthcoming contemporary language Bible (his The Voice of Mark Amazon.com: The Voice of Mark: Let Them Listen: Greg Garrett, Matthew Paul Turner: Books and The Voice of Hebrews Amazon.com: The Voice of Hebrews: The Mystery of Melchizedek: Greg Garrett, David Capes: Books were published in 2008).
Crossing Myself, Garrett’s spiritual autobiography, was published in 2006 Amazon.com: Crossing Myself: A Story of Spiritual Rebirth: Greg Garrett: Books. A second memoir, No Idea, is forthcoming from David C. Cook Publishing in 2009. Stories from the Edge: A Theology of Grief Amazon.com: Stories from the Edge: A Theology of Grief: Greg Garrett: Books, was published in August 2008.
Other work
Garrett is also the author of several short stories, book reviews, essays, and scholarly articles. His novella Minuet won the William Faulkner Prize for Fiction in 1993. He won a regional CASE gold medalist for nonfiction and was elected to the Texas Institute of Letters in 2005 for his lifetime literary achievements. The Texas Institute of Letters
He also currently writes a theology blog, “The Other Jesus,” The Other Jesus for The Christian Century.
Garrett is a professor of English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he has taught since 1989. He has been named Outstanding Professor by Baylor’s student congress and Outstanding Faculty Member by the university administration Baylor University || Institute for Faith and Learning || 1998 Pruit Memorial Symposium. His courses at Baylor include studies of writing, film, and literature. He was the founding director of Baylor’s Art & Soul Festival, a festival celebrating faith and the arts, from 1999-2002 Baylor University || Institute for Faith and Learning || Art & Soul.
He is also the Writer in Residence at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest ETSS and a lay preacher at St. David’s Episcopal Church Welcome to St. David's Episcopal Church, both in Austin, Texas.
Garrett also teaches classes, workshops, retreats, and seminars in writing, religion and culture, theology, spirituality, and other topics for conference centers, conferences, schools, universities, seminaries, and organizations around the U.S. and overseas. Recent offerings include “Writing for Peace and Justice” (a course at Ghost Ranch Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu and in Santa Fe, an Education, Retreat and Conference Center - Abiquiu Facilities in Abiquiu, New Mexico) and “Writing the Novel,” a five-week course for the Writers League of Texas Writers' League of Texas.
Garrett currently resides in Austin, Texas. He has two sons, Jacob and Chandler.
