Greg Garrett 
Professor of English | Baylor University
Austin, Texas Area, TX, UNITED STATES
Writing and speaking about race, religion, and culture; Canon Theologian at The American Cathedral, Paris, France
Biography
Writer, teacher, and speaker with expertise in race, religion, narrative, film and other popular culture forms, writing, and literature. Representative speaking topics include race and American film, the afterlife in popular imagination, the spirituality of U2, religion and Harry Potter, religion and politics, the future of the Church, fiction and screenwriting, and movies and spirituality.
Greg is the author of two dozen books, including novels, memoir, and nonfiction on religion, culture, and politics. He is Professor of English at Baylor University, where he has won three university-wide teaching awards. He has discussed his work for The New York Times, LA Times, Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, BBC Radio, BBC Scotland, The Bob Edwards Show, and many other print, broadcast, and web media.
Industry Expertise (3)
Religious Institutions
Entertainment
Writing and Editing
Areas of Expertise (4)
Race and Culture
Religion and Culture
Screenwriting
Fiction Writing
Accomplishments (7)
Member, Texas Institute of Letters (professional)
2010-04-16
Elected to membership for my lifetime literary accomplishments.
Residential Scholar, Gladstone's Library, Hawarden, Wales (professional)
2010-06-10
Between 2010 and 2017, I regularly served as a Residential Scholar, living and working at the UK's only prime ministerial library.
Fellow, Cathedral College of Preachers, Washington National Cathedral (professional)
2008-10-09
Named a Fellow to the National Cathedral's College of Preachers to live and work on my book The Other Jesus
Publishers Weekly First Fiction Feature (professional)
2002-03-07
Publishers Weekly chose my novel Free Bird as one of a a dozen important fiction debuts for Spring, 2002, and profiled me in the magazine.
Pirate's Alley William Faulkner Prize for Fiction (professional)
1993-09-17
For a novella, Minuet
Visiting Fellow, Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture (professional)
2021-10-11
I served as a visiting fellow at Oxford in Fall, 2021, working on racism and nationalism and building coalitions with British scholars, writers, and clergy.
Canon Theologian (professional)
2021-06-15
I serve as the Canon Theologian of the American Cathedral in Paris, writing, preaching, teaching, and helping the local community and Episcopalians across Europe think theologically about their lives and current events.
Education (2)
Oklahoma State University: PhD, English/Creative Writing/Film 1989
Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest: MDiv, Theology/Culture/Preaching 2007
Affiliations (2)
- Baylor University
- American Cathedral of Paris
Links (3)
Event Appearances (5)
One Fine Potion: Finding Augustine in the Literary Magic of Harry Potter
The Catholic Imagination in the Arts Lecture Villanova University
2012-03-13
The Other Jesus
The Otis Young Lecture on Religion and Ethics First/Plymouth Congregational Church, Lincoln, Nebraska
2011-11-17
The Deeper Meaning of Harry Potter
University Lecture Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas
2010-10-20
Engaging the World to Come
Deans and Rectors Workshop Consortium of Endowed Parishes, New Orleans, LA
2009-03-04
The Gospel according to U2
2010 Endowed Lecture Series University Christian Church, Austin, TX
2010-04-07
Sample Talks (1)
Finding the Spiritual in Popular Culture
What do great stories have to offer us besides entertainment? Can they really teach us about the great questions of who we are and what we're supposed to be doing? Through engagement with a single topic (the music of U2, the Harry Potter novels and films, superhero comics and movies, etc.) or with a wide range of cultural artifacts, I talk about the philosophical and spiritual themes to be found there that can enrich our lives and the lives of our communities.
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Author Appearance
- Corporate Training
Social