Living and Writing in West Texas

Legendary Western author Elmer Kelton stands before you on the page, speaking directly in his warm, witty voice. Living and Writing in West Texas preserves two speeches he gave in the 1980s – one to the Friends of the Library Symposium at Texas Tech University (1985) and one to the Texas Folklore Society in Lubbock (1988)

. In each, Kelton blends storytelling and sage advice. He reflects on life in West Texas – its sky, its hardship, and its stubborn beauty – and on his craft as a writer. Kelton “wrote Texas as it was and is,” readers will recall, and here he does so with an authentic ear for dialogue and phrase

These speeches are at once memoir, history, and how-to: Kelton peppers them with colorful anecdotes of ranching life, characters from the plains, and the trials of a writer finding his voice. He speaks plainly about writing – the habits and honesty it takes – all while evoking the high plains and dusty ranch country he loved. Fans will recognize the same dry humor and deep empathy that made his fiction so beloved.

Originally issued in a finely bound hardcover (1988) in a signed limited edition, this volume went out of print decades ago.

The new TCU Press edition restores these texts for a broad readership, with a fresh introduction by Western author, Patrick Dearen. Living and Writing in West Texas is a gift for novelists and historians alike: it captures Kelton at the mic, offering the “eye and ear” of a true West Texas voice.

It stands as both a keepsake of Kelton’s legacy and a lively insider’s view of Texas storytelling.