Allen Wier (September 9, 1946 – December 4, 2021; pronounced "wire"), was an American writer and a professor. He was the Watkins Endowed Visiting Writer at Murray State University from 2016 until 2020; he is Professor Emeritus having taught at the University of Tennessee from 1994 until 2015, and the University of Alabama from 1980 to 1994. and Hollins College from 1975 to 1980 and Carnegie-Mellon University from 1974 to 1975. He taught in the University of New Orleans summer writing workshop in Edinburgh, Scotland in Summer of 2013. He was visiting writer at the University of Texas in 1983 and at Florida International University 1984-1985.
Biography
Wier was born on September 9, 1946, in San Antonio, Texas, and spent parts of his childhood in Louisiana and Mexico. He attended Baylor University and received his BA degree (1968); Louisiana State University and received his MA degree (1971); and Bowling Green University received his MFA degree (1974).
He taught at the University of Tennessee from 1994 until 2015, and the University of Alabama from 1980 to 1994. Additionally teaching at Longwood College, Carnegie-Mellon University, Hollins College, University of Texas, Florida International University, and Murray State University.
In 2003, Wier was inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers, along with Barry Hannah and Yusef Komunyakaa. He is widely published in anthologies and periodicals, including The New York Times, Ploughshares, and The Southern Review. Was formerly married to the poet Dara Wier. Then married artist Donnie Wier, with whom he became a step-father of two sons Heath and Mike, then had his first and only son, Wes.
Awards and honors
2021, awarded the Truman Capote Prize for Short Fiction
2008, awarded the 27th John Dos Passos Prize for Literature
2005, special mention for his short story "The Taste of Dirt" in the Pushcart Prize volume 2005 2003, inducted into the Fellowship of Southern Writers 1997, Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction, Fellowship of Southern Writers 1990, Dobie-Paisano Fellowship, University of Texas and Texas Institute of Letters 1978, fiction fellowship, Breadloaf Conference 1978, short fiction award, Texas Institute of Letters Award 1979, fiction award, Guggenheim Fellow, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 1974–1975, National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Bibliography
Books
Wier, Allen (2017). Late Night, Early Morning:'' Stories, University of Tennessee Press.