Paul Ruffin was a Texas State University System Regents' Professor and Distinguished Professor of English at Sam Houston State University, where he also held the title of writer in residence. The 2009 Texas poet laureate, he was the author of two novels, six collections of short stories, five books of nonfiction prose, and seven collections of poetry and the editor or coeditor of 15 other books. His work appeared widely in journals and magazines in the United States and abroad and had been featured on National Public Radio.