Award-Winning Author

September 3, 2015

UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Education Professor Earns State Recognition for Short Story

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September 3, 2015

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

September 3, 2015

Dr. Robert Stevens, professor of education at The University of Texas at Tyler, has received first place in a short story contest by the Texas Association of Authors, Dr. Ross Sherman, College of Education and Psychology dean, announced.

Stevens was honored in the historical fiction category for Weather Breeder. The inaugural contest recognized exemplary fiction for young adults. All winners’ stories have been complied in a book titled, “Short Stories by Texas Authors, Vol. 1.”

“Weather Breeder is based on a composite character, Uncle Jed, who represents the lifestyle and values of lobstermen I grew up with on the Maine and New Hampshire coasts,” Stevens said. “As we become acquainted with Jed through the eyes of his nephew, we become aware of his distrust of technology. Like most fishermen, he is fatalistic realizing that we all have little control over our environment. I am very interested in the limitations of technology. As a culture, we see it as a panacea yet it is only a tool like that yellow pencil we used in elementary school.”

According to promotional materials, Uncle Jed survived 55 years of fishing due to his innate intelligence and instincts, yet on the last day out to retrieve his traps at the end of the season, he and his boat, the New Dawn, are found washed up on the shore the following day. He had weathered more intense storms. What happened?

Serving UT Tyler since 2004, Stevens holds a master of arts in social foundations of education as well as an Ed.D. in education, both from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Before coming to UT Tyler, he previously served the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Georgia Southern University.

Last year, the professor received TAA’s “Best Book Award for Civil War Historical Fiction” for Master Robert – his first historical novel.

The Texas Association of Authors focuses on promoting authors within the Lone Star State. The association leverages the knowledge and expertise of various authors to promote their works locally and globally.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,000 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.