Ron Austin

Ron Austin

Lecturer in College Writing
MFA, University of Missouri–St. Louis

contact info:

mailing address:

  • College Writing Program
    MSC 1096-153-122
    Washington University
    1 Brookings Drive
    St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

Ron A. Austin holds an MFA from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and is a 2016 Regional Arts Commission Fellow. Avery Colt Is a Snake, a Thief, a Liar, his first collection of linked stories, won the 2017 Nilsen Prize. The book will be released in fall of 2019. Austin’s short stories have been placed or are forthcoming in Pleiades, Story Quarterly, Ninth Letter, Black Warrior Review, Midwestern Gothic, Juked and other journals. He, his partner Jennie, and son Elijah live in St. Louis with a whippet named Carmen.

Featured Courses

College Writing: Citizen Scientist

Being a citizen of a modern democracy increasingly requires making decisions informed by our understanding of scientific consensus and the backing evidence. The stakes of these decisions range from the future of a warming planet to the benefits of vaccinations and GMOs to the persistence of racial bias and gender inequality. Citizen Scientist uses these and other topics at the intersection of civic responsibility and academic research to introduce students to college writing.