Bret Anthony Johnston is an American author, novelist and essayist. He is the author of the novels Remember Me Like This and We Burn Daylight, as well as the short story collection Corpus Christi: Stories. He is the editor of the non-fiction work Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. He won the 2017 Sunday Times Short Story Award. In 2026, Johnston was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Early life and education Johnston was born and raised in Texas. Retrieved 2026-07-16. He is a graduate of Miami University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in 2002. Retrieved 2026-07-17. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
Career Johnston was the recipient of a 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Paris Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, Oxford American, Tin House, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times, Slate.com, All Things Considered, and in short story anthologies.
His debut short story collection, Corpus Christi: Stories, received the 2005 Steven Turner Award for Best First Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters. Retrieved 2026-07-17. It was shortlisted for Ireland’s Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
His debut novel, Remember Me Like This, was a New York Times Notable Book of the year and winner of the McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize.
Johnston's second novel, We Burn Daylight, was published in July 2024. It received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews which stated, "Johnston adeptly shifts between mundane moments and episodes of vivid drama...an evocative reimagining of the Romeo and Juliet story set amid the catastrophic collapse of a religious cult." Retrieved 2026-07-16. We Burn Daylight was awarded the 2025 Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters and the 2024 Writers' League of Texas Book Award in Fiction. Retrieved 2026-07-17. Retrieved 2026-07-17. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
In 2012, the documentary film Waiting for Lightning premiered at the SXSW Film Festival and was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Retrieved 2026-07-16. The film was written by Johnston and directed by Jacob Rosenberg. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
Johnston is the Director of the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches fiction writing. He was previously the Director of the Creative Writing program at Harvard University. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
Johnston is also a former professional skateboarder. Retrieved 2026-07-17. He briefly toured the U.S. with a sponsor and professional skateboarding crew before enrolling in graduate school. Retrieved 2026-07-17. His passion for skateboarding comes up frequently in his writing and interviews. Retrieved 2026-07-17.
In February 2026, Johnston released his second short story collection, Encounters with Unexpected Animals: Stories. Retrieved 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-16.
Awards and honors 2005 Steven Turner Award for Best First Fiction 2006 National Book Foundation named a 5 under 35 Retrieved 2026-07-16. 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Retrieved 2026-07-16. 2015 McLaughlin-Esstman-Stearns First Novel Prize Retrieved 2026-07-16. 2017 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award for "Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses" Retrieved 2026-04-14. 2024 Writers' League of Texas Book Award in Fiction 2025 Jessie H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship in Fiction Retrieved 2026-04-14.
Works Fiction Collections
Novels
Non-fiction
Film Waiting for Lightning (screenwriter) (2012)
References
External links
Official Bret Anthony Johnston website 5 under 35: Laurie Ann Cedilnik interviews Bret Anthony Johnston & More in Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts (23.1).