Richard Jespers

Raised in Wichita, Kansas, Richard Jespers has been writing fiction for over thirty years. He graduated from Southwestern College with a bachelor of music, and has played keyboards in a variety of situations. Then he earned an MA in English from Texas Tech University and went on to teach elementary and secondary English in the Lubbock, Texas, public schools for twenty-eight years.

A Pushcart nominee for his short story “My Long-Playing Records,” which first appeared in the nationally recognized journal, Boulevard, Richard has also been recognized by the Tennessee Writers Alliance, which honored his story, "Bathed in Pink," also appearing in his new collection. His collected story "Engineer" was given a prize, as well, by The Ledge fiction competition. Other works have appeared in Storyglossia, Mochila Review, Oyez Review, Eclectica Magazine, Gihon River Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, Blackbird, and Cooweescoowee.

Richard lives in Lubbock, Texas, with his long-time companion, Ken Dixon. He draws writing inspiration from Tennessee Williams, who once stated: “Any work that has any honesty and a sufficient degree of craftsmanship or power eventually finds an outlet.”